Kamen Moon Rider
by Ten-Faced Paladin
Summary: Warriors from another realm are brought into the battle with the Death Busters. Will they be a help or a hinderance?
1. Characters

I do not own Sailor Moon nor Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their rspective creators and not me. This is done for the sole enjoyment of the writing process and not for any kind of monetary gain. I hope you all enjoy reeading this as much as I did writing it.  
-Ten-Faced Paladin 

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Facd Paladin

Prologue: Characer Explanation

I don't expect many to know about Kamen Rider Kabuto because I only found it by accident so you can ask me for the website. It is a real TV show. If you want to see what the characters to it are like then you can go ahead and find the episodes. My story contains some spoilers so keep that in mind as I explain. If you do know about it then you can skip this part.

The main story is that a meteor had crashed into Earth and destroyed a portion of Tokyo. The meteor had released alien insectoid creatures dubbed worms. The basic ones look like cocoons of some sort and they have the ability to mimic humans. After an amount of time they evolve into more powerful forms. They retain their ability to mimic, but they also gain the ability to Clock Up. This ability lets the worms move at speeds so fast that everything else is standing still. The worms for the main part seem to be content to infest the planet and take it over.

To combat this threat the Japanese govrnment created the orginization Zect. These people hunt down worms and attempt to destroy them for the good of the people. However, they quickly discover that the worms are too powerful. With that, the Riders are created. Rider's are poeple who are chosen by zectors, insect-like machines, and gain their powers. he riders were actually created by creatures called Natives 35 years ago to help fend off the worms.

The riders have their own set abilities. When they initially transform thy are wearing a suit of armor which protcts them from the worms but limit their physical attacks called masked form. Should they decide to, they can Cast Off the extra armor for a smaller but faster version. When a rider Casts Off the extra armor, it becomes a projectile weapon which hits all targets in a 180 degree radius. While in the lighter armor or rider mode, the riders can Clock Up to match the speed of the worms. They can also use their most powerful technique to destroy an evolved worm in this form. It varies from rider to rider.

Characters:

Tendou: He was the first rider. He is codenamed Kabuto because of his beetle zector. He is arguably the strongest of the riders. He is not a member of Zect so how he obtained the zector is still a mystery. He constantly quotes his grandmother in battle and states that as he walks the path of heaven then one day, he will rule over everything. He is the only rider able to use Hyper Clock Up. More on that as the story progresses. Tendoh comes off as arrogant but he has the skills to back it up and he is truly a good person at heart who manages to teach a life lesson to everyone close to him. He lives at home with his little sister.

Yaguruma: He was the second rider. Formerly codenamed Zabee. A hornet-based zector. He led the elite Zect team Shadow against worms. His latest mission was to destroy Kabuto who wouldn't join Zect. However, Zabee rejected him when he strayed from his path in life and thus lost his job. He is now his own fighter who managed to get the Kick Hopper zector. He is not a big fan of Tendou, who he believes is responsible for his failure.

Daisuke: A professional make-up artist. He was chosen by the dragonfly zector to become the rider codenamed Drake. He is more of a lover rather than a fighter and prefers to leave the fighting to the other riders if he can help it. He constantly travels with a girl named Gon who can't remember her past. Daisuke doesn't have many enemies with the other riders and he is always a sucker for a pretty face. He can't help but want to make it more beautiful.

Tsurugi: The fourth rider codenamed Sasword. He is the heir to a rich and noble house and is very skilled in everything he does. He wields the scorpion zector. He takes jobs from Zect but is not a formal member in a squad of his own. He sees Tendoh as his personal rival in life. He cannot stand being beaten but does enjoy the finer things in life. He personally says that he will walk the path above and one day stand over everything.

Kagami: He is the fourth rider. Gatack. Stag-beetle based. His brother was killed in the metor crash. Tendoh frequents at the bistro he works at and helps cook sometimes. Kagami also joined Zect to protect people but his greatest dream was to become a rider. His dream came true when Zabee took to him as it's master. He gave it up however when he couldn't complete his mission to destroy Kabuto. Later, to help a child, he took up an exprimental zector which put him in the hospital before taking to him. He has the most firepower of all the riders. He and Tendoh are also friends but neither will admit it.

Kageyama: He took up Zabee after Kagami abandoned it. He took his misson of destroying all non-Zect riders very seriously. However, he was finally defeated by Kabuto and lost the power after so many failed attempts. He then left Zect after he was almost killed by worms that were working with Zect. He teamed up with Yaguruma and recieved the Punch Hopper zector. He stilll has a bone to pick with Kabuto.

OC's

Kamemaru: He is chosen as the new wielder of Zabee. He usually jokes around on the battlfield to try and get his opponents mad enough to make a mistake before taking them down. He enjoys life as a rider and will never abandon it. His older brother died in the meteor crash so he feels as if he is doing justice by killing worms. He has had extensive training in martial arts and feels as if he is good enough to take down Kabuto once and for all. Even though he holds no hard feelings towards him. He feels that Kabuto is a true hero and is reluctant to fight him but he must if he wants to continue dispensing justice on the worms.

Yagami: He is a high school student who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was minding his own business as a Zect convoy was driving past and was attacked by worms. He was stunned by the battle that followed and watched helplessly with Gon. The worms apparently couldn't find what they were after and left. What was inside was a new zector. Hakabuto. A Hercules Beetle zector. He didn't want it but it took to him anyway and now he's stuck with it. He only fights when he sees worms to fight. He'd prefer it if Zect didn't find him. He's a little paranoid about the govrnment.


	2. All The Pieces Are In Place

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to thir respective creators and not me. I'm doing this for fun since I like to write and am a crossover freak. If I am gtting anything out of this, it's enjoyment and satisfaction.  
-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 1: All The Pieces Are In Place

In the darkened hallways of the Zect base, A man was looking oveer reports to the orginzation he was working for. Things had been getting steadily worse in his own opinion. The Worms were becoming more orginized and the more evolved ones were getting stronger. What was worse was that most of the riders that fought them couldn't even be controlled by Zect. They only had a firm hold on Zabee while Gatack and Sasword were loose cannons at best. Kabuto, Drake, and the Hoppers were uncontrollable. The man witheld a sigh as he looked over the papers again. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

His attention was turned to his phone which had started ringing. He cooly gripped the reciever and brought it to his ear.

"What?" he askd instantly. A muffled voice could be heard coming from th othr end. "It's prepared then. Good. Begin transportation immediately. This is important that we get it to home base in one piece. Failure is NOT and option!"

The man put the phone back down and returnd to his papers. His mood was brightened somewhat. If Zect could lay it's hands on the cargo and find a suitable candidate, then Kabuto would soon fall and the rogue riders would quickly fall with him. There were margins for failure, but that was a risk he was willing to take. It wasn't as if soldiers were hard to replace.

The plan itself was simple. They would package the cargo in one convoy of Zect troopers and thre convoys would head out. None of them would know who had the real cargo except for the driver. For security reasons and for looks, the three Zect riders would travel with thm. One for each convoy. They would be able to handle any wormattack that came upon them.

**xxxxx 1st Convoy xxxxx**

Kagami was leaning on the passenger side of a Hummer while it was driving down the road. He was in his usual gray suit and he was a little uncomfortable. This sort of job he would never get used to. Especially after he got the Gatack Zector. Ever since he had gotten it he had been forced to destroy Worms which had taken the forms of people he was familiar with or even children. It never really changed.

His orders were sent in from HQ. Protect the convoy and the package at all costs. He wasn't told what it was or even why it was needed so bad. He asked but the questions were pretty much ignored. That didn;t really surprise him. Even as a Rider he was never told what was going on. After he got his orders, him and a team were dispatched and moving down a pretty crowded street where people would notice them.

'_If whatever we have is so important then why are we moving it out in the open?_' he thought to himself idly.

While the procession moved, they didn't notice that a single person on a motorcycle was following them. He was dressed like a delinquent and had brighter hair than most people.

Yaguruma smirked as he stuck close. His old contacts in Shadow were paying off. Whatever the cargo was had to be important for such a scheme just to move it. It was most likely a new weapon for the Riders to use. The former leader of Shadow swore that he would be the one to get it first if he had anything to say. Kageyama could use it if he found it but right now was finders-keepers.

As Yaguruma drove past, a person watched them go with unhealthy interest. He looked ratheer generic and not very memorable. His black suit and sunglasses made him look more prepared for a funeral. When the convoy and Makamura turned the corner, the man blurred and vanished in a burst of speed. No one seemed the wiser that someone had seemingly vanished into thin air.

**xxxxx 2nd Convoy xxxxx**

Tsurgui tailed the Hummer in his limosine which his butler was driving. His hand was gripped on his Sawsword blade just in case he needed to call his Zector. He was dressed in an extravagant white suit. He listed several things he would rather be doing, namely proving his superiority over Tendou. Unfortunately, he had a job to do and he aimed to do that. He was nothing if not thourogh in all his tasks.

"How much further?" Tsurugi asked his butler impatiently.

"I shouldn't think much further sir," was the older man's reply. "I was only told to follow the main car."

Tsurugi sighed and leaned back into his seat. His grip on his sword never wavered. Right now he was merely content to envision his eventual victory over Tendou. He looked out the window to watch the scenery and was only met with the cold steel of industial buildings.

A woman stood by a fence in a black jacket and skirt with an equally black viel over hr face. When the limo was gone she vanished in a black blur. After a moment, a figure could be seen walking to where she stood with a smirk on his face. He also had slightly messed black hair with scars on his face. He was also dressed like a punk.

Kageyama couldn't help but smirk. The convoy was going to have an unexpected visitor. All he had to do was sit back and wait for the Worm to attack. Then in the chaos he could walk right in and snatch the cargo. Maybe he would destroy the Worm if he was feeling up to it. Even though he didn't know what the convoy was actually moving, but his Aniki wanted it and that was good enough for him.

**xxxxx 3rd Convoy xxxxx**

Kamemaru sat ready for anything. As the new leader for Shadow he had no choice but to be ready for anything. His new black suit was still itching and his hair was tied back in a small ponytail. He eyed the wristband that he wore that allowed him to change into Zabee. He didn't expect to actually be chosen to be a Rider, but he was more than willing to go for the chance. He had been wanting to fight the Worms for a long time. He heard about them in newspapers but those reports were hard to find an very few. Someone had been doing a good job of covering up these incidents.

Zect had come to him about his police record and offered him a position among their ranks. His first mission was just against a bunch of Pupaworms. Apparently they were taking over a parking garage for whatever it was worms did. With the new ammunition they were issued they shouldn't have been a problem. Their trasportation even had the Zabee Zector. The higher ups were desperate to find someone who could use it.

The mission was going along fine. They blew away a few of the Pupaworms, but when a new swarm of them of them attacked he was seperated from the others. Through the struggle he got cornered by four green cocoon-like Worms. What made things worse was one of them had evolved into a cicada-like creature that buzzed nonstop. Kamemaru had lost his brother to the Worms and he wasn't about to lose himself to them now. When he was faced with such terrible odds, he did what instinct told him to do.

He fought back. Hard.

He fired rounds into the Worms as fast as he possibly could. The Pupaworms seemed to take some damage but the Cicadaworm seemed to find it more annoying than anything. It kicked into Clock Up and bashed him several times before it finally kicked him to the ground. Still, Kamemaru tried to get up and keep firing but the Cicadaworm just knocked the blaster out of his hands. Unamarmed, he still wouldn't bow to them. As he shakily stood up there was a rumbling sound that caught the Worms' attention. Imagine Kamemaru's surprise when the Zabee Zector burst through the concrete wall and dropped it's wristband into his hand. The Pupaworms never knew what hit them and the Cicadaworm only caught a glimpse.

Bringing himself back to the present Kamemaru eyed the silver box in the backseat. He wasn't informed what exactly it was but he knew that it's saftey was the highest priority. If he screwed this up then he might even get his Rider status revoked. He wasn't sure if it was possible but he was not willing to find out. He had gotten this far to avenge the people that the Worms had killed and he didn't want to lose the tool he had that let him do it.

Outside, a woman dressed for a funeral with red hair watched the convoy go past. After it did she began walking in the same direction. What she didn't realize was that as she walked, one Souji Tendou was quietly following her. His eyes narrowed and his steps quiet despite the noise of the people around.

Tendou looked like someone who would stand out in a crowd. His hair looked wild and he was wearig somestylish clothes. His hands were in his pockets as he watched the lady in black leave. The superior gaze in his eyes and the smirk on his lips revealed his endless confidence in his abilities. It was this confidence that allowed him to bravely fight the worms as Kamen Rider Kabuto.

As he walked past a cafe, Daisuke and Gon were having lunch after another job. As he was drinking his tea, Gon caught a glimpse of Tendou following the lady.

Daisuke was a man who had simple tastes. If he could sit down and help make a woman beautiful then he would be happy. He had a slender frame and straight hair which was mostly covered with his hat. He was wearing his usual bright clothes and his ever handy make-up case was next to his seat. Being a professional make-up artist, this box was his life. Without it he couldn;t make the women of the world beautiful and probably be poor within the week.

The little girl beside him was his ever trusty companion Gon. It wasn't her real name, but since she had been without her memory when they first met he had taken her in and given her that name. Since recovering his memory she recalled her name, but he had an easier time remembering her as Gon. She often stayed with Daisuke as they took care of his various appointments.

"Daisuke, look, it's Tendou," Gon pointed out as she pointed to the Kabuto wielder.

Daisuke looked and saw Tendou walking down the streets. It also didn't escape his notice that the ever confident Rider was following a woman who was donned entirely in black. Daisuke smiled slightly at it.

"Seems like he's looking for a date to me," he smiled. "Shall we see how this turns out Gon?"

"Okay," Gon smiled.

Daisuke payed his bill and the two of them quickly set off after Tendou. No way were they going to let the stoic man just go off when they saw what he was following. Daisuke secretly wondered if he could do the woman's make-up before she goeson her first date with Tendou.

* * *

Kagami's Hummer turned a corner and ended up at a four way intersection. He stiffled a yawn when he saw another Hummer appear at one of the corners. He looked straight ahead and saw yet another Hummer come to a stop.

"What the?" he blinked.

Before he could question anything further, three people appeared in the centre of the intersection. A man and two women, dressed like they were heading for a funeral. Kagami tensed as he realised what was happening. He had seen this sort of thing enough times in the past to know that a fight to the death was going to be happening sometime in the immediate future.

Over with the lime that was following one of the Hummers, the wielder of the Sawsword Zector was beginning to grow irritable with the lack of movement. Because he was sitting so far back, he couldn't see what was going on. Being left out of something only served to make him angrier.

"What's happening?" Tsurugi asked his butler.

"Three people are standing in the middle of the road," the older man replied.

Tsurugi tensed again and gripped his sword. He knew only what people acting strange these days meant. Worms. Moving with growl, Tsurugi quickly stepped out of his limo and walked forward toward the front. He looked to the right and noticed Kagami getting out of a Hummer like the one he was following. Another Hummer was on his left with someone in a black suit he hadn't seen before. Tsurugi decided to ignore them and just face the three in the road. It seemed he would become three steps closer to keeping the vow he made to his beloved sister after today.

"So, you three want what we have," he smirked.

The three remained silent. Kagami looked a little nervous while the new guy had stiffened. After a moment of silence the three clad in black began to shift and mutate in a haze of energy. The three humans had changed into large, cockroach creatures that had crystal orbs in their chests, arms, and hands. Large membrane wings reached down their backs and large antennae hung in front of their faces.

Tsurugi, Kamemaru, and Kagami each readied themselves as the Worms finished mutating out of their mimic forms.

"STANDBY," the three zector recievers called out unaminously.

The asphalt cracked as a silver and purple robot scorpion burst out of the ground. At the same moment a blue and gold stag beetle came diving out of the sky alongside a silver, yellow, and black hornet. Kagami caught the beetle while Kamemaru snagged the wasp. The scorpion leaped into Tsurgui's hand.

"Henshin!" the three men called out loud. Tsurugi snapped the scorpion to his sword. Kagami attatched the beetle to his belt while Kamemaru stuck the wasp to his bracelet.

"HENSHIN" the Zectors echoed.

Starting from where the Zectors made contact, a hexagonal field extanded over their bodies and soon revealed their rider forms. Tsurugi was donned in purple and silver armor with orange cables running down his back and arms. His face was covered in a silver helmet with a green horizontal visor. A spike was on his chin while a scorpion tail was on the top of his head. This was Kamen Rider Sasword

Kagami was soon donned in blue armor that covered his body. Shoulder mounted guns were part of it while his face had large red eyes with horns resembling a stag beetle's pinchers. His chest was box-like with blue trim and cylindrical sections ran down his arms. This was Kamen Rider Gatack

Kamemaru was donned in yellow and black armor. His shoulerpads were white and cylindrical sections ran down his arms like Gatack. His head was in a silver helmet that had several bunched together hexagons for a visor. He was now kamen rider Zabee.

The three Riders stared down the worms who were still standing still. Sasword lunged forward and attempted to cut down at least one of them. The lead worm skillfully dodged while the other two went for Gatack and Zabee.

Gatack unleased a salvo from his shoulder cannons as he ran at the worm with a battle cry. The Worm dodged the shots and as they met, the two began throwing punches at each other. The Worm was quick and Kagami's movements were hindered by his armor. The thick armor provided extra protection against the enhanced strenght of the Worms, but it cut down on his speed.

Zabee squared off with his attacker, both waiting to make the first move. The Worm seemed to be more of the patient type. It alomost looked like it knew it had all the time in the world.

'_Or waiting for something,_' Zabee thought to himslef darkly.

Deciding to end this fast, Zabee flipped the wings of his Zector so that they were pointing away from it's stinger. The reaction was instant as energy began to rip through his armor. The cylindrical arm sections began to loosen up to his shoulder while the pads expanded, looking ready to fall apart. The chest likewise expanded and so did the helmet.

"Cast Off," Zabee ordered as he turned the Zector so the stinger pointed the same direction as his fist.

"CAST OFF," his Zector echoed before the loosened armor exploded off his body.

The Worm was forced back by the flying pieces of armor. It was quick to recovr before it looked at it's now changed opponent.

Zabee was now a bit smaller than before. His chestplate was shaped like a hornet's abdomen The silver gauntlets were still there and the zector remained. His shoulder pads were much smaller and were now yellow. His face changed most. It now had a segmented yellow stripe with large eyes with shot antennae.

"CHANGE WASP!" the Zector finished as the new armor was put into full gear.

The Worm seemed unimpressed as it ran forward at it's target. Zabee rushed forward with equal force. His speed had increased since the armor was now smaller and lighter. When fighting against the Worms, th difference between strenght and speed sometimes made all the difference between winning or losing.

Away from the three-way battle, there were several witnesses. Leaning on a car were Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper. In the looks department, they both looked the same. They didn't have their masked form armor on. The chestplates had pointed shoulders and a segented abdomen. They also had boots and gauntlets. Their belts had their grasshopper-like zectors attatched. Their helmets had horns to the sides with mouthpieces and two insectoid eyes. That's were the simularities ended.

Kick Hopper, Yaguruma, was green with gold. He also had red eyes in this form. On his right leg was a golden axle. Punch Hopper, Kageyama, was silver with bronze. His eyes were white. His right forearm had a gold axle on them.

"Should we get involved Aniki?" Punch Hopper asked his 'brother'.

"Later Aibou," Kick Hopper remarked while turning to the three hummers. "Let's see what all the fighting is about.

Kick Hopper headed over to the closest hummer and tapped on the driver side door. The driver had been too absorbed into the fight to notice them. He turned to the noise and gasped at seeing Kick Hopper. The green rider ripped open the door and threw the driver out. He reached inside and grasped the silver case inside. He ripped it open and only found packaging foam.

"A decoy," Kick Hopper sighed. "I thought as much."

He turned to Punch Hopper and tilted his head toward another hummer, "Get the other one. I'll get the last one."

Punch Hopper nodded and headed for the furthest hummer. Kick Hopper threw the empty case away and turned to the hummer in the middle if the three vehicles. His curiosity was now boiling as he tried to figure out what Zect was moving.

"Grandmother said this: When one had faith, everything would come to you in due time," a stoic voice spoke.

Kick Hopper quickly turned around and saw none other than Kabuto in his rider form leaning against a wall. His arms were crossed and he seemed absolutely unconcerned about what was going on.

Kabuto's chest was in the style the abdomen of a beetle. His shoulderpads were rounded with the gloves and boots in the same style. His belt had a red beetle for a zector. Only the beetle's hor was on the opposite side of the beetle's body. Kabuto's head had a large blue visor that had a red beetle horn coming straight up the middle of his face. The overall color scheme was red.

"What do you want?" Kick Hopper asked darkly.

"Nothing really," Kabuto shrugged. "I just have a job to do."

Kabuto stood up and began walking towards the battle. Kick Hopper felt his anger boil over at the stoic rider. His rage at Kabuto for costing him his position within Zect and Shadow sill burned brightly.

Kick Hoopper fell to his rage and tried to use a roundhouse to hit Kabuto's head. The rider seemed to sense it coming and he ducked under the srike and landed a punch on Kick Hopper's chest. The force slammed him against the hummer.

"Are you done?" Kabuto remarked.

"Raah!" Kick Hopper roared as he leaped for another attack.

Meanwhile, Punch Hopper walked over to his target and ripped the door off the hummer. The driver didn't hesitate to get out of his way. Everyone in Zect knew how powerful the Riders were and that onr shouldn't mess with them. With thelast person gone, Punch Hopper grabbed the case inside and as he drew it out. Before he could open it, blue energy bolts blasted the case, causing shredded foam and chunks of metal to fall to the ground.

Punch Hopper looked forward and saw Kamen Rider Drake aiming his dragonfly blaster in his right hand. Drake's overall color was blue. His chestplate was two layers of blue with red line inbetween. Metal segemnted cords ran down his arms into his gauntlets. His helmet was was overall blue with large blue flaps with black horizontal lines for eyes. An air tube ran from his mouth over his shoulder and into a pack on his back.

"I don't think so," Drake laughed.

Punch Hopper clenched his fists and ran at Drake with a vicious battle cry. Drake fired several shots but Punch Hopper was a quick one. He was able to get in close before he planted a solid punch into Drake's chest, sending the blue Rider back a few feet.

Gon was hiding behind a few trashcans, wanting to see the action and make sure that Daisuke didn't get beaten up too badly. Gon was too absorbed by the battle that she didn't notice a person behind her. She almost scremaed when the put a hand on her shoulder but she turned to see someone that looked to be a Junior High School student.

The boy had normal black hair and he was in the average high school uniform. No doubt that was where he was heading when the battle started.

"This is no place to be a spectator!" he hissed quietly.

"I have to stay," Gon replied. "My friend is out there."

"Great," the boy sighed. To him, that meant that there was another kid somewhere that might get caught in the battle. With the way the armored guys were going at each other and the monsters, anyone caught in the middle could lose theit life. "Where?"

Gon pointed to Drake as he fired several more shots at Punch Hopper and actually managed to hit him. The silver Rider stumbled back before he growled in rage again before charging at Drake with his fists raised.

"There," she reported.

A screech of metal could be heard and everyone looked to see that a Worm had gotten past Gatack and had torn the door off the last hummer. The Worm reached inside and gripped the silver case that was being held inside of it. The Worm then screeched in victory and waved the case to it's siblings. The other two seemed to acknowledged their fellow Worm's claim of the box.

Zabee gasped when he saw the worm and noticed that the other two were standing still and were starting to bend their knees. That meant only one thing.

"Clock Up!" Zabee ordered as he pressed a buton on his belt.

Kabuto noticed as well during his fight with the angry Kick Hopper. He took the moment of distraction to make a single command.

"Clock Up," he called as he hit a button on the side of his belt.

"CLOCK UP!" the two Zectors echoed before everything went still.

It was like everything had grown still to Kabuto and Zabee. Kagami had actually fired at the Worm by the truck and his bullets could be seen floating in mid-air. The only things not standing still were Kabuto, Zabee, and the three Worms. Zabee ran at the Worm that was holding the case while Kabuto aimed for the same target. Zabee made a flying leap but the Worm swiftly dodged it only to meet Kabuto's fist in his face. It dropped the case with an angry hiss and Kabuto kicked it off to the side. He did notice the girl that followed Daisuke hiding with a boy a few years older than her. As he got it to the side, the other two Worms attacked him and Zabee.

The entire exchange looked like blurs of brown, red, and yellow to the outside viewers. At most, it took about three seconds and then a silver blurr was launched from the battle and landed in front of Gon.

Not even considering the consequences, Gon immediately got out of her hiding place and made for the package despite her company's words not to go. She grabbed the case as her new friend ran up behind her, trying to convince her to get back. After fiddling with the lock, she managed to open it. What they both saw was some kind of wrist band that had a golden band with a rectangular bit of silver metal on the top. There were ridges that appeared to be for something to be locked into place.

"I know what this is," Gon smiled as she picked it up.

"What?" the boy asked.

"It's like what Daisuke uses," Gon replied. "How he changes into Drake."

The boy looked over to see Drake still shooting at Punch Hopper despite the close range and occasionally taking a swipe at him. While he was watching, Gon took the moment to slip the band onto his wrist.

"Huh?" he gasped. "What are you doing?"

"I'm too small," Gon replied. "You look like Daisuke's height so I thought you'd be better for it."

"Fight monsters?!" the boy asked incrediously. "What makes you think I'm capable of that."

"You're a nice guy," Gon replied. "I know you can do it."

The boy looked down at the device strapped onto his wrist. He then looked back at the blurrs shooting all around the street. He wasn't a fighter but then, if he couldn't use the thing then what was he worrying about. Looking at the device on his wrist, he was surprised to suddenly hear it talk.

"STANDBY," it said in a deep voice.

Gon smiled as a deep buzzing could be heard cutting through the air. They both looked up to see a golden beetle flutter down into the boy's hand. It had a single horn sticking out from the top of it's head and another smaller one from just above it's eyes. It was a Hercules Beetle. The boy could only stare in wonder at the small machine that flown into his hand.

"I knew it!" Gon smiled. "Now! Henshin!"

"Henshin?" the boy asked in confusion.

At the word, the beetle leaped from his hand and snapped itself to the device in his wrist.

"HENSHIN!" the device roared.

A hexagonal field spread from the boy's arm as a new Rider was activated and brought into the world. The armor was golden with white highlight at the edges. The chest was boxlike and the shoulderpads were large rounded with three spikes in a triangular formation. Cylindrical segements ran down his arms but gold triangles were plated in the centre of each one. His helmet was silver with gold lines and two horns. One one his forehead and a nub of one just above the point between his eyes. His visor was a round visor of green. This was Kamen Rider Hakabuto

"Okay, I can use it," Hakabuto sighed. "But I can't move as fast as they can!"

His words were meant for the blurs that were still moving over the battlefield. Punch Hopper was still going at Drake while Kick Hopper had put his rage toward Sasword and Gatack.

"You can if you Cast Off," Gon answered. "Daisuke can at least."

"How?" Hakabuto asked in a disbelieving manner.

Gon grabbed his wrist and starting fiddling with his Zector, "Yours is more like Tendou's. The horns are probably handles or something."

She pushed on the Zector's top horn and it snapped back while the smaller one stayed still. Electric bolts raced through the Hakabuto armor and the arm bands began to loosen. Same went for the chest, shoulders and head. Gon took a moment to step back behind the garbaghe cans again. She had seen for herself what happened when a Rider cast off his heavier armor. She didn;t want to get hit by accident.

"Now pull it back and say Cast Off!" she spoke.

Hakabuto touched the centre horn and pushed it to the point in which it was along the Zector's back and the secondary horns had followed it. As the horns made contact with the back of the robotic beetle, electric bolts began to pool up inside the device.

"Uh...Cast Off?" Hakabuto asked uncertainly.

"CAST OFF!" the zector echoed.

Hakabuto felt a surge as the extra armor flew off his body and all over the place. He looked himself over and saw that his chestplate now looked like a beetles abdomen. His gauntlets and boots were still the same. His left shoulder was round and smooth but the right one was fashioned after his zector's flesh and blood counterpart. His head still had one final change as two horns hidden under the torso armor folded up and attatched to his head. The first attatched to his face resembling Tendou's while the second attatched right between his eyes. Overall, he had a fearsome look.

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!" the Zector finished as the armor came online.

Hakabuto looked to Gon with his head tilted slightly, "Okay. How can I move that fast."

"Your belt," she replied. "There's a button on it. Hit it and say Clock Up and you'll go hyper speed. I'm sure they all do."

"Uh, okay." Hakabuto nodded before putting his hands on his belt, instantly feeling a square on the right side that could be pressed.

"Clock Up!" he called as he slammed his palm into the square.

"CLOCK UP!" the Zector confirmed.

Then everything went still. Hakabuto looked around and saw that all the other Riders were in mid attack and not moving. He looked to where he had seen only blurs before and found that two Riders were taking on three cockroach monsters right in front of him. Kabuto was doing well but two of them were ganging up on Zabee. It was probably up to him to make things fair.

"Here I go," Hakabuto sighed.

He ran straight for the battle as a roach was holding Zabee while the other one was ppreparing to punch him. Hakabuto quickly grabbed the monsters shoulder and spun it around. It was hard to see but it's beady black eyes widened slightly at seeing the new Rider. That was before it got a fist to the face, sending it down. Zabee took advantage of the situation and elbowed his roach in the gut to get it off. When it was off, he turned to stare at the new Rider that had helped him out.

"Who are you?" Zabee asked firmly.

"Later," Hakabuto answered. "These guy's first."

The two Worms got up off the ground and lunged at thee two Riders. Zabee parried the attack but Hakabuto was taken down as the two of them fought to get the upper hand. Kabuto caught the punch of his Worm before kneeing it in the chest and sending it back several feet. Wordlessly, he moved his hand towards his zector.

"1, 2, 3," it spoke as he pressed the buttons along the top before resetting the handle.

"Rider Kick," Kabuto almost whispered as he pulled the horn of his zector back.

"RIDER KICK!" the zector boomed.

Electric energy raced through Kabuto's body and his eyes began to go along with his horn. The next move the Worm made would be it's last.

Zabee threw his Worm away and kicked it for good measure just to get enough time for what he needed to do. He reached to his own Zector and pressed a botton on it's back which had been hidden by it's wings. As he did, the stinger extended as Zabee's eyes began to glow and energy leaped between his antennae.

"Rider Sting," he ordered sternly.

"RIDER STING!" the Zector acknowledged.

All he had to do was aim and punch now.

Hakabuto managed to roll away from the Worm that so dearly wanted him dead and was able to see what Kabuto did with his Zector. Looking to his own as the Worm tried to reorient itsellf from being dizzy, Hakabuto wondered if he could do the same thing. He did notice three buttons that were at the back end of the beetle. It was the he decided to try what Kabuto did and hope for the best. If it didn't work out then he might very well be dead.

"1, 2, 3," the Zector spoke as Hakabuto pressed the buttons before resetting the horns.

"R-Rider Kick," Hakabuto spoke, almost timidly.

"RIDER KICK!" the golden zector replied.

Energy ripped through Hakabuto and between his horns as his eyes began to glow. He hadn't felt this kind of rush before. The three Worms managed to get to their feet and screeched in anger. The Worms then charged at the three riders. What was funny was they they were in a triangular position. As the Worms got close enough, the riders unleashed their attacks. Kabuto used a roundhose against his worm which sent it spinning back. Zabee punched his, which impaled it with his stinger, forcing it back as well. Hakabuto finished with a forward kick which did the same. The three Worms collided with each other into a big pile of insectoid fleash and crackling Rider energy.

"CLOCK OVER!" the three Zectors suddenly called as the world suddenly sped up again.

The other Riders were distracted for the moment as they saw a new Rider and the three Worms in a pile, twitching as the energy from the attack affected them. As the Worms slowly died, the crystals implanted in their bodies began to glow. The light began to grow bright as Zabee and Kabuto realised that something was wrong. Hakabuto wondered if this was normal. The other Riders were caught off-guard by the light and didn't react in time.

The light spread over a wide area as a loud explosion ripped through the area. Gon shut her eyes as the light grew too bright for her eyes and the riders were caught in it. As the light faded, Gon was shocked to see the entire are was scorced. A crater was big enough that it covered where the area in a circle up to just in front of Gon.

"Daisuke?" she asked, slightly shocked.

**xxxxx A Universe Away xxxxx**

She was having a dream that could almost be called a vision. She could see people who had been turned to stone all around her. Including her friends. In front of her was a wave of destruction that wasn't stopping. Behind her was three lights that she knew could help but they wouldn't. As they faded,so did her hopes, but out of the darkness the light left, she could see insects charging forth. Two grasshoppers, three beetles, a scorpion, a bee, and a dragonfly. As they came closer, the insects changed into humanoid figures that stood beside her and her friends. As the wave of darkness came closer the world seemed to fade as her dream ended.

"Hah!" Raye Hino gasped as she sat up in her bed. The sun shone through her window as she caught her breath. The dream had really scared her but she was also confused.

'_Insects? Destruction? Lights?_' she thought to herself. '_What could this mean?_'

To Be Continued...

A/N: This is an experimental fic for me. If I feel that I get enough positive reviews then I will continue with the story. If you don't know Kabuto then ask me for the website to look up the episodes.


	3. Star Struck, Insect Swarm

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I'm just having fun and hopefully entartaining some folks at the same time. If you don't like it then tough. I've disclaimed it so you can't sue me now. Ha ha.  
-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 2: Star Struck, Insect Swarm.

Hakabuto woke in a daze. His vision was blurred and he couldn't see anything. He wanted to wipe his eyes but his visor was keeping him from doing that. His muscles felt as stiff and as heavy as rock. He wanted to move but his body didn't seem to want to comply with his wishes. Hell, it was a big enough chore to just to breathe properly. Whatever the three cockroaches had done was as effective as hell.

Hakabuto's hearing seemed to return and he heard people talking. It seemed like public near-panic to him. He's heard it enough in movies to at least recognise it to an extent. In all honesty it didn't sound all that different from the movies. It was a few more seconds before he could hear individual words.

"Are they Youma?"

"Where did they come from?"

"There was a bright light,"

"Momma, that one's moving!"

Whoever had said the last statement had been talking about Hakabuto as he moved his arm to begin standing up. The witnesses began to panic as they watched him push himself up to his knees. After a few more minutes of laboured breathing, he managed to turn his head to check his surroundings.

He was still in an intersection, just not the one he was knocked out in. The Hummers were there too but they were melted all to hell. Whatever his armor was made of was a real sucker for punishment. Hakabuto looked at the surrounding buildings and found that he was now in a district he was unfamiliar with. He had never heard of a jewelry store called Osa-P. Looking back to street level, Hakabuto could see that he was not alone. Kabuto and Zabee weren't far away from him. Over by a melted Hummer was Drake, still in Masked Form and Punch Hopper. Closer to the sidewalk was Gatack and Sasword in their Masked Forms along with Kick Hopper.

Hakabuto struggled to his feet with what some would call monumental effort. The people around him started gasping in fear and were backing away. He heard people muttering about 'Sailor Scouts' and wondering when they would get here.

'_Must be local militia or something,_' Hakabuto reasoned to himself. He then looked at the number of nervous faces around him.

"Uh...hey," Hakabuto greeted, earning gasps of surprise from the crowds. "Can..uh...anyone tell me where we landed?"

No one seemed to have the courage to answer. Not until the kid from before decided to be brave.

"You're in Juuban mister," she called despite her mother's potests.

"Juuban?" Hakabuto muttered. "Never heard of it."

"Because there isn't one," a serious voice replied.

Hakabuto turned around to see Kabuto sitting up and looking at his surroundings. The red Rider didn't seem to be anywhere close to panic nor the levels of pain that Hakabuto was feeling.

"What are you talking about?" Hakabuto sighed.

"There is no Juuban, New Guy," Kabuto replied as he stood up and coined a nickname for Hakabuto. "It isn't on any kind of map I've seen."

"Then just how do you explain how we're in it?" Hakabuto snorted.

"Many ways come to mind," Kabuto answered as stoic as ever. "But now's not the time. You take the Hoppers somewhere safe. I'll get Sawsord and Drake. Gatack will be with Zabee when he wakes up."

Hakabuto nodded and began walking towards Punch Hopper. He wasn't about to argue with a guy who was able to do the same things he could and had more experience with said abilities. He got over to Punch Hopper and also managed to walk off some of the soreness. When he grabbed Punch Hopper's arm and picked him up, the silver rider began to wake up.

"Huh?" he groaned. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter," Hakabuto replied. "I'm getting you and the green hopper guy outta here."

Hakabuto helped Punch Hoppper stumble over to his 'brother' before managing to wake him as well.

"We're getting out of here," Hakabuto said to the silently dazed Hoppers. He reached to his belt where the Clock Up switch was located. "Get ready. Clock Up."

"CLOCK UP!" the Hercules Beetle Zector echoed as it activated. The world went still again as Hakabuto became too fast fir normal sight.

Satisified that it was working, Hakabuto helped the hoppers get away from the intersection. Since they were both wearing rider armor and were in contact with him, they entered the super speed with him. Thankfully the armor enhanced his strength, letting him carry the Hoppers easily. The crowd in real time gasped as three of the strange armored figures vanished in three colored blurs. The red one soon vanished with the blue one and the purple one. The last blue one finally got up and left with the yellow one like the red one told him to. No one was quite sure what to make of it and they decided to just go on with their day. The Sailor Scouts hadn't shown up so whatever those armored men were, they couldn't possibly be threats.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hakabuto finally dropped the Hoppers off at a spot he deemed private. It was actually a park but since no one was there it was private enough. As he put them down, his Zector ended his Clock Up and everything resumed its normal pace. Hakabuto dropped the the ground while the Hoppers managed to get into a sitting position. When they did, the Zectors they bore leaped from their bodies and flew and/or bounced away. Without the Zectors to keep the change, the three Riders resumed their original forms.

"Hey!" Kageyama frowned as he saw the high school student sitting where the gold rider was just a moment ago. "You're just a kid!"

"Well your sight's okay," the boy sighed. "Just who are you guys?"

"Call me Yaguruma," the other man replied with a slight smirk of amusement. "This is my aibou Kageyama. You?"

"My name's Kira Yagami," Yagami replied. "Just call me by my last name."

"Okay Yagami," Yaguruma nodded. "Where did you get the Zector?"

"Oh, this?" Yagami asked while pointing to his new bracelet. "It was in the case that you guys were fighting over."

"You've got to be kidding," Kageyama growled. "Not only do we have to deal with a new Rider but a kid at that."

"Well excuse me," Yagami sighed. "I didn't want this thing but it just started working on it's own. I'm stuck with it though, aren't I?"

"Not unless you do something to piss it off," Yaguruma answered. "Trust me, it can be done."

Yagami stared down at the bracelet he wore. If what the Yaguruma guy said was true then he was just conscripted into fighting mosters. He was probably going to have to keep fighting mosters until there were none left or until they killed him. Either way he was screwed in a number of ways. Sideways at that.

"So," Yagami began. "Any tips for the new guy?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Amy was studying with her friends and so far everyone was doing fine except for Serena. High school exams were coming up and she was on a new level of panic when it came to her grades. Her test score were as low as ever and if she didn't pick up the slack then they wouldn't be able to get into the schools they had all picked.

"Now Serena," Mina spoke, trying to calm their now depressed friend. "It's only one test. It's nothing to worry about."

"Oooh I'm never going to get into high school," she whined. "Darien will never want to speak to me again since I'm such a dummy!"

"I think we should take a break," Lita suggested.

"I'd like to," Raye yawned with a stretch, "But I have to go back to the temple. Lots of people have been coming in looking for good luck charms."

"Really?" Serena gasped, her mood uplifting. "Do they work?"

"Haven't had any complaints yet," Raye smiled. "I think they do."

"Then I'm going to get some of my own!" Serena cried happpily.

"Why don't all of us go?" Mina suggested. "Better to have a lot of luck than just a little."

While it appeared that these girls were in fact ordinary school girls, nothing further from the truth could be found. In reality, each of these girls were actually the soldiers of love and justice known as the Sailor Scouts. It was their duty to fight evil to help keep the peace and protect the world from aliens and other monsters that would do people harm

The leader of the small band was Serena Tsukino. She had long blonde hair which she kept done up in two buns on her head with two long ponytails. She was the strongest of the Scouts in a magical sense. She was a very kind girl, but she was a little clumsy and not always the most intelligent. She was also the only Scout with a boyfriend, one Darien Sheilds.

Ami Mizuno was the second Scout to be found, Sailor Mercury. She was one of the most intelligent people in the nation and she was a very humble and shy girl. She had the ability to analyze opponents and other things with her Mercury Computer, but in the high pacd world of fighting monsters, on didn't get the chance to hold still often. She was a very studious girl who didn't have much of a social life before she met Serena and the others.

Raye Hino was the third Scout to be discovered. She was the most spiritually active of the Sailor Scouts. She lived at a temple where she worked as a miko along with her grandfather. She was an expert in getting rid of demons and evil spirits, which sometimes worked against some of the threats that they had gone up against. Raye was a passionate girl who was probably Serena's closest friend, even if she and the ponytailed blonde fought like cats and dogs at least once a meeting.

Lita Kino was the fourth Scout to be found, otherwise known as Sailor Jupiter. She was by far the tallest and the strongest in a physical sense. She had long brown hair which she kept tied back in a ponytial and rose earrings. She was a little bit of a tomboy since she would get into fights sometimes, but she was also a very good cook. She was also an orphan because her parents died in an accident when she was younger. She was also a hopeless romantic since she was sometimes found pining for an old boyfriend she once had who was her first love.

The last Scout to reveal herself was Mina Aino, otherwise known as Sailor Venus. She had been active even longer than Sailor Moon was. She had been dealing with evil in England as Sailor V, who had become a popular heroine in modern culture. It wasn't until she came back to Japan that she reveald herself as Venus. Mina was an optimistic blonde who kept her hair tied back with a red ribbon. She had an awful memory for sayings which got her to mix them up most of the time.

While the Scouts were dicussing the nature of good luck charms, the Mercury computer was reacting. If Amy wasn't distracted, she would have seen the readout on a massive amount of energy appearing. It would also be telling Amy about the massive dimensional displacement and the seven reading moving away from it at a pace that the computer almost couldn't track.

* * *

Yagami sat and waited for the other Riders to appear. Yaguruma and Kageyama weren't exactly secretive in their 'dislike' for Kabuto, whoever he was. He had spent the time making conversation with them. They were almost pleasent conversation, except for their 'path of hell' talk or 'perfect harmony' that they were spouting. Personally, Yagami didn't really believe either philosphy. He was more of a 'forge your own path' guy.

"That Kabuto guy mentioned that we're in a district that's not supposed to exist," Yagami mentioned. "Don't know what he's talking about so I'm not putting much substance into it just yet."

"I personally think that Tendou's crazy," Kageyama smirked. "Insanity and power is a pretty good mix."

"You'd know about that," Yagami smirked silently.

Yaguruma smirked slightly. He was liking the new guy already. He didn't share the same ideals as Kabuto and was just a Rider out of bad timing. Not because anyone chose him for it. Yagami was someone he could stand. Kageyama had a slightly different opinion.

"So, you managed to get them here," a new voice spoke.

The two rouge Hoppers stiffened as they turned to see none other than Tendou walking towards them. Tsurugi and Daisuke were with him. Kagami and Kamemaru were just entering the grounds. Yagami was slightly surprised that all the other Riders were sucha diverse group of people. Some looked ike they were government agents while others looked like they belonged in mansions. Two looked like they were just ordinary guys like him while the Hoppers appeared to be punks to the core.

"So why are we here is a better question," Tsurugi asked irritably.

"We seem to be in a place that shouldn't exist," Tendou replied without looking at Tsurugi.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Kagami.

"The Worms we fought," KaMemaru spoke up. "They weren't normal. The crystals in their bodies seemed to react to our attacks somehow."

"Exactly," Tendou nodded. "That large explosion sent us into this Juuban ward. It shouldn't exist but here we are."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Tsurugi sighed. "Were in a place we haven't heard about. So what?"

"The monsters," Yagami spoke up. "They can't become living bombs can they?"

"Not even once," Kagami replied. "They explode when we kill them but not on that scale."

"Then something was different," Yagami reasoned. "They amplified an ability or something. That explosion moved us, but we could easily get back with that Clock Up stuff. There has to be something more."

"There is," Tendou spoke while removing a newspaper from his pocket and threw it between the other riders. "These people have never had the metor hit. Not even a mention of Worms anywhere. Just things called Youma and people called Sailor Scouts who fight them."

"Impossible!" Kamemaru gasped. "How is that possible?! There's no way that no one woudnt know about the meteor impact!"

"Simple," Yagami sighed as if it was obvious. "We must be in a different dimension of some kind."

"Lunacy," Tsurugi snorted. "The newest Rider is a raving lunatic."

"I like the new guy already," Tendou smirked. "He picked it up immediately. How we can move so quickly defies laws of physics. Maybe the Worms know how to travel between dimensions. It's not a long stretch."

"Like to see you prove it," Yaguruma snorted. "It's pretty strange even for us."

Tendou shrugged before walking away. He had better things to do at the moment besides arguing with the other riders. Namely figuring out just what the history of the area was. He also wanted to see just how these Youma stacked up in comparison to the Worms.

"Tendou!" Kagami shouted as he followed. "Wait up!"

Yagami shook his head as he stood up. He really hated his situation right now. When he went to bed last night all he had to worry about was high school tests and such. Now he had to help save the world from Kami knows what and he only had a group of misfits to work with. Not that he was really much better in that sense.

"I'll catch you later Yaguruma," Yagami nodded as he went off to follow Tendou.

Yaguruma nodded as he also stood up. He motioned to Kageyama and the two of them began their walk away from the other Riders. Daisuke watched them go before shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, if we are in another dimension, I'll have to get new tools," he sighed. "I hope the currency here is still the same as back home."

"You're buying this different dimension foolishness?" Tsurugi snorted.

"Well, either way, as I am now, I am merely the wind that circles around the flower, but cannot help it bloom," Daisuke smiled. "I'll need supplies if I aim to do that."

With that, Daisuke set out. Tsurugi watched him go with a superior smirk. He still believed that the new guy's idea was foolish. Kamemaru tapped his chin in thought before walking away. He needed to do some research on this place. If what the kid said was true then he would have to create a new identity and secure some funds. It was a good thing Zect put him through computer training when he became Zabee.

Tsurugi shook his head before making his own way towards his own preferred destination, wherever that was.

"Fools," he laughed. "All of them. Fools."

* * *

Within the darkened confines of his lab, Professer Tomoe was working on his Daimon creation. He had to be exact in his ingredients or else he wasn't going to succeed. Taking two vials of chemicals in his hands, he gently poured them into the larger vial of red fluid. When the chemicals mixed, there was a violent reaction and a flash of light. Professer Tomoe shielded his eyes from the reaction and waited for it to die down. When it did, he dared to look and see if his process had been successful. He smiled widely as he saw a small black seed hovering in front of him.

"Excellent," he smiled crazily. "It is perfect. Kaolinite!"

"Yes prefoesser?" a seductive voice asked.

The professer turned slightly to gaze at his assistant. Kaolinite was a beautiful red-haired woman with a very striking figure. She was wearing a lab coat over her usual outfit which accented her feminine charms. She also had a sparkle of desire in her eyes when she gazed at the professer.

"Here," the professer spoke as he took the Daimon egg and handed it to her. "I trust you know what to do with it?"

"Of course," Kaolinite smiled. "But, professer..."

"Yes?" the professer asked patiently.

"There is that matter of the massive energy spike we felt earlier," Kaolinite spoke. "Are you not concerned about it?"

"Slightly," the professer nodded. "But not overly so. I sent Eudiel to investigate. Is there anything else?"

"No professer," Kaolinite smiled, before she vanished leaving only her lab coat behind.

"And so it all begins," the professer smiled demonicly.

* * *

Kaolinite reappered at the Hikawa shrine. She was actually hovering several feet above it. No one who was coming or going would see her. Looking at the Daimon egg in her hand,she looked for a suitable subject for it to incorporate itself into. Turning, she decided on one of the trees that the priestess here tied wards around. Kaolinite hovered closer to the tree before dropping the Daimon egg down onto it. The daimon egg sank into the bark without making a sound. Satisfied that the egg was implanted, Kaolinite vanished again. Now it was all a matter of time.

* * *

The scene that Raye walked into the temple was calm. It didn't seem that anything was the matter. It didn't seem to give any hint that anything was the matter. Not in the least was hinted that anything sinister was going on. As Raye continued on her way, the daimon egg within the tree reacted in excitement as she ran past the it. The egg within the tree quivered in realization. A pure heart was nearby. Soon, it would be the time to act.

Raye had changed into her priestess robes and positioned herself in front of the sacred fire to try and find out more about her dream. The absolute destruction she witnessed scared her and she wanted to find out the source. The three lights were also a mystery. They just abandoned the Scouts to their fate, but the insects that followed didn't hesitate to stand against the darkness and fight beside them. How they changed into warriors was also something that weighed on her mind. Were they warriors from the Moon Kingdom, or somewhere else?

Sighing heavily as the flames refused to give an asnwer, Raye sat up, "Just how will that dream come to pass?" She had to get answers. If what was coming was as bad as she thought she didn't want to be caught off guard.

Walking outside, she helped herself to the fortunes that were constantly sold at the shrine. After drawing a stick and picking up the matching fortune, and reading it, she turned to tie it to a tree that was used for such a purpose. Just as she finished tying the paper on, the tree became engulfed in a dark aura. The absolute evil that was emenating from the tree caught the young preistess off guard and left her stunned.

"What!?" Raye gasped as she stepped back.

The tree twisted and groaned as it tore itself out of the ground. A pillar of light grew from it as the tree began to mutate into a more human appearance. he monster's skin was blue and was wearing a yellow outfit with a red and yelllow rope and bells on her head. Her hair looked as if it was made out of wood along with her bracelets and shoes.

"MIKUJI!" the moster shrieked.

"What..what the-?" Raye gasped.

"Your pure heart," the creature known as Mikuji grinned evilly. "I must have your pure heart!"

Raye stared at the moster which had been one of the trees on the temple grounds. She wanted to transform so that she could fight it but she knew if she did then her grandfather would get involved and no doubt get hurt. She knew there was only one thing to do right now. She had to run.

"You want my heart?" she asked. "Just try to take it!"

With that, she ran. The monster just smirked and slowly hovered into the air. It then gave off a battle cry before shooting off like a rocket after her. Leaning on a tree, watching the entire scene, Kaolinite smirked. So far, everything was going smoothly. Soon, the heart crystal would belong to her and her beloved professer.

* * *

Tendou was walking along the streets with his hands in his pockets. Kagami was with him as he followed. After all, he didn't have anything better to do if what Yagami said was true. There wasn't a Zect for him to report to here so he was a free Rider. Yagami was only following because Tendou seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on.

"So...where are we going anyway?" Yagami asked for the fifth time.

Tendou didn't reply as Kagami shrugged. Tendou wasn't saying but he had a pretty intent look on his face. At least one of them knew what they were doing. The three of them rounded a corner and were heading for a temple.

"Why are we here Tendou?" Kagami asked in confusion.

"From what I've read," Tendou finally spoke. "These monster attacks and Sailor Scouts have been most noticable here. I want to see it for myself."

"You think they might be able to help?" asked Yagami.

"Hnn," Tendou replied. "Possibly."

"Do you think Youma are any tougher than Worms?" wondered Kagami.

"How tough can they be?" replied Yagami, trying not to sound nervous at the thought of fighting monsters again. "I mean, if girls in school girl outfits can beat them, we Riders might be able to do it."

"Grandmother said this," Tendou suddenly spoke up. "Confidence can be the key to everything, but too much will be the cause of your own downfall."

Any further quotes on Tendou's part were suddenly halted when a bright light could be seen from the temple. Tendou tensed as Kagami seemed to be ready to move at a moments notice. Yagami wasn't sure iff he wanted to run away or towards the source of the light.

"MIKUJI!" a strange voice shrieked.

"That can't be normal," Kagami frowned.

"No," Tendou agreed. "Come on."

Tendou and Kagami ran forward to see what was going on. Yagami watched them go and looked at his zector which was still on his wrist. He had forgotten that he was wearing it in all the excitement. The cursed thing felt like it already belonged there. Looking back to his fellow Riders running forward, he made his decision.

"Dammit," Yagami groaned before running to catch up with Tendou and Kagami.

* * *

Raye was cornered at the wall of her property and she didn't have anywhere to go. She turned around to try and get ready to transform, but the moster already flew out of the underbrush. Its speed was incredible and didn't give her time to do much of anything.

"Bad fortune to you!" Mikuji laughed as she pinned Raye's wrists to the wall.

Mikuji's hands turned to solid stone before she broke them off, leaving them to keep Raye pinned to the wall. As she stepped back, Mikuji's hands grew back. From out of nowhere, Kaolinite appeared with a smirk on her face.

"Excellent work my Daimon," she smiled. "Now, take her pure heart."

"MIKUJI!" the monster roared as she opened her shirt slightly to reveal a black star imprinted there.

The black star began to glow before it shot a beam of dark energy straight at Raye. When it collided, Raye screamed in pain. It felt like to her as if her heart was being torn out. After what felt like agaonizing hours, Raye slipped into blessed unconciousness. What also happened was a bright red crystal was pulled out of her chest. it looked like a small geode of some kind.

"Perfect," Kaolinite smiled. "You take the heart, I will search for others that may hold a talisman."

"Yes Mistress," Mikuji nodded before Kaolinite vanished again.

Mikuji stepped forward to grab the heart crystal. She felt good knowing that she pleaser her master and mistress. However, before she could even touch the crystal, a male voice spoke up from the shade of the trees.

"Grandmother said this: The heart is a precious and fragile thing that must be protected. I wonder what that makes you, someone who steals the purest hearts." the man spoke.

Mikuji hissed and turned around, seeing three males hidden in the shadows of the trees. She couldn't see them that well. It only served to annoy her as that they were interrupting her mission.

"Bad fortune to those who interrupt!" she hissed.

"Perhaps," the male in the middle nodded. "But bad fortune also falls upon thse who commit evil more often than on good people."

"Rrrr" Mikuji growled angrily. She was about to attack when she heard something else come to interrupt her.

"STANDBY," three mechanical voices said loudly.

Mikuji heard buzzing start up around her. She turned every way to try and find out what it was but the sounds came to her. A red rhino beetle zipped past her face and scratched her cheek. A blue stag beetle followed by, cutting her other cheek. Finally, a gold hercules beetle buzzed by and cut her forehead. Mikuji hated bugs and for good reason. She had the mentallity of a tree after all. The bugs continued on their way and were caught by the three men.

"Henshin!" the three males called before snapping the bugs onto a certain point on their body. One on his wrist and th eother two on their waists.

"HENSHIN!" the three mechanical voices echoed loudly.

The three males stepped forward towards the light, but their bodies and faces were quickly covered in thick looking armor. Mikuji hadn't been briefed about this. She would have to deal with this the only way she knew how.

Gatack and Hakabuto were donned in their masked form armor. Kabuto was in his as well. It was mostly silver with a red accent on the shoulders and chest. Cylindrical sections ran down his hands and armor plating was on his fingers. The helmet was silver with a solid blue visor. On the forehead of the visor was a small bit resembling that of a rhino beetle's horn tip.

"We'll say it only once," Gatack said, trying to sound as serious as Kabuto did. "Put that crystal back where you got it."

"Never!" Mikuji raored. "Bad fortune to you all!"

She lunged forward with her clawed hands, ready to pin them down so she could get away with the pure heart. Hakabuto and Gatack reacted quickly by doddgning to the side, but Kabuto stood where he was. Mikuji zoomed closer with a grin of victory, expecting an easy take down. What she wasn't expecting was Kabuto to clasp her hands and match her strength, causing her to stop in her tarcks.

"W-what?!" Mikuji gasped.

"Your strength is impressive," Kabuto remarked. "But it will not be enough to win this battle."

"MIKUJI!" the monster roared in anger and confusion.

Mikuji suddenly felt incredbile pain in her side as she was launched to the ground. She looked up and saw Gatack with his shoulder cannons smoking, having shot her in the side while she was fighting Kabuto. While that battle was going on, Hakabuto was running for the crystal which was floating on the ground. He slowed his pace and gently reached to pick it up.

"Okay," he muttered. "Just how am I supposed to put this thing back?"

"You aren't," a new voice spoke. "Just give it to us and we'll handle that part."

Hakabuto looked up into a tree and saw two femenine figures sitting in the branches. They looked like they were in short skirted outfits but that was all he could really tell about them. Everything else about them was hidden in the shade that the tree provided.

"Excuse me?" Hakabuto asked in confusion.

"Just give us the heart crystal," the second figure spoke in a gentler voice. "If the crystal doesn't have a talisman then we'll put it back."

"Uh...how am I supposed to trust you on that?" Hakabuto asked suspiciously.

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this!" the first figure said, quickly losing patience.

"I'm..uh..sure you don't," Hakabuto nodded. "But as you can plainly see, there's noting unique about this crystal. So..I'll..uh, be putting this back now."

Hakabuto quickly turned his attention back to the girl who was still pinned back to the wall. Looking at the crystal in his hands, he gently began to press the crystal against her chest. The crytals seemed to phase right into her as if her body wasn't there.

"No!" the first figure shouted.

She was about to charge when the second figure put a hand on her shoulder. The first looked to the second and then back to Hakabuto.

"You're lucky I was close enough to sense the crystal," the second figure spoke. "If there was a talisman in it then we would have attacked you to keep it from slipping out of our hands."

With her words said, the two figures vanished from sight. Hakabuto shook his head in annoyance before turning his attention back to the girl. He gripped the pertrified hands that held her in place and tore them off, setting her free. The girl was still out cold as she slumped into his arms. Hakabuto gently put her on the ground before turning his attention back to the battle, wanting to be sure that he could protect the girl.

Mikuji quickly got to her feet and growled. She knew she was outnumbered so she began spinning in a rapid pace. Her rope ponytail whipped forward at the two riders. Gatack and Kabuto weren't expecting her hair to be a weapon and were smashed by the rope, both being put to the ground.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Mikuji crowed. "Bad fortune!"

Kabuto remained silent as he stood up. Gatack was feeling the brunt of the blow while he struggled to stand up. Kabuto just reached to his belt and unlocked the horn of his Zector. Energy began to rip through his armor as it loosened from his body.

"Cast Off," Kabuto ordered as he pulled the horn.

"CAST OFF!" the Zector echoed as the loose armor exploded off Kabuto's body.

Mikuji shielded her face as her body was pelted with the flying armor sections. When it was over she looked back at Kabuto who was now in his rider armor. The single horn was folding upward to make his visor into two eyes.

"CHANGE BEETLE," the Zector called, activating the armor.

"What?!" Mikuji shrieked, growing more confused. "How can you do that?!"

* * *

Serena was walking towards the temple with her friends. They were all looking forward to getting some good luck charms. If they worked like Raye said then they might not have to study as hard as they had been. Luna and Artemis were travelling with them. The moon cats decided to be constant reminders that even woth good luck, Serena and Mina still had to study.

"I hope that those charms work," Serena sighed. "I need all the help I can get."

"I'm sure they will Serena," Mina smiled optimistically. "Raye hasn't let us down before."

Serena smiled. Mina was right. Despite all the arguments they had, Raye was not a friend who would let anyone down if she had anything to say about it.

While she was musing, a large blast of sound could be heard from the temple. The girls looked up and saw a few pieces of some kind of armor flying over the edge of the temple grounds and at them.

"Waagh!" Serena cried as she ducked under the flying metal. What was strange was that when the metal hit the ground and stopped moving, it vanished in a shimmering mirage. All four girls and two moon cats just stared at the spot where the armor had been a moment ago.

"What was that?!" shrieked Mina.

"I'm not sure," Lita frowned. "But Raye might be in trouble!"

"The what are you waiting for?!" Luna said sternly. "Go!"

The girls nodded and ran for the temple stairs. As they ran they also grabbed their henshin pens.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kabuto was still fighting Mikuji. The daimon was as quick as ever, but with Kabuto in his rider form, he was able to keep up with her. Mikuji shot at Kabuto again with her claws outstretched, but as she came close, Kabuto landed an uppercut into her chin, sending her away.

"Gyaaah!" Mikuji shrieked as she held her face in pain. "I'll kill you!"

Kabuto didn't reply. While Mikuji was tring to get her balance back, he was reaching to his Zector.

"1, 2, 3," the Zector spoke as he pressed the three buttons along the top before resetting the horn.

Mikuji was too enraged by the Rider to care why he was pressing buttons on his belt. She just knew that a mere human was keeping her from completing her misson. She didn't care how he got that strong or how he got that armor. She just knew that she was going to tear him and his two friends apart. Then she was going to take the pure heart crystal and take it back to her master.

"Rider Kick," Kabuto said quietly as he pulled the horn.

"RIDER KICK!" the Zector boomed.

"DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" Mikuji roared as she flew forward, her ponytail ready to crush Kabuto's head.

Kabuto didn't move as he watched her come. Energy was surging through him and leaping off his horn while his eyes began to glow. Before Mikuji could use her ponytail again, Kabuto planted a roundhouse kick to the side of her head. The force of the blow sent her into the dirt, but she wasn't getting up this time. Her body was twitching as she gasped for breath. After a moment, she stopped altogether. A split-second after that, Mikuji's body burst into black smoke which filled the three Rider's vision. Kabuto waved the smoke away from his face and peered to where Mikuji's body was, only to find a tree that had been uprooted standing where she had hit the ground.

"What the-?" Gatack gasped as he stood up. "Wasn't that a monster a minute ago?"

"Interesting," Kabuto nodded. "The monsters are made from ordinary objects."

"Hey guys!" Hakabuto shouted. "She's waking up!"

Raye rubbed her eyes as she woke up slowly. Her chest still hurt, but what she felt like was being ripped out had been returned. She also felt that she was in a warm pair of arms. She looked up and saw the faces of three men in armor peering down at her.

"Are you okay?" asked the golden one.

"Y-yes," Raye replied weakly.

"Having your heart stolen must not be a pleasent experience," the red one commented.

"My heart?" Raye murmured before gasing as realization hit. "The Daimon! Where did it go?"

"I took care of it," the red figure replied before pointing at the uprooted tree. Raye blinked as looked back to her saviors.

"Can you stand?" asked the blue one.

Raye nodded as the gold person helped her stand up. She was about to ask who they were when a very familiar voice suddenly cut throough the air.

"Halt evil villans!" the voice shouted. "Attacking an innocent priestess is a terrible crime. I Sailor Moon will not stand or it!"

'_Oh no,_' Raye thought to herself.

To Be Continued.

A/N: There we go. I hope you guys enjoy this. I really need to hear more reviews or else I'll think you guys don't like it and I'll stop writing more of it. Thanks to ZK Chromedragozoid for supporting the fic. I really appreciate it.


	4. Scouts Vs Riders

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I'm just writing about them for the sheer enjoyment of it. I hope that you readers enjoy the story as much as I did writing it.  
-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chpater 3: Scouts Vs. Riders

Raye knew there was going to be trouble when she heard Sailor Moon announce herself. She was still being held by the golden armored figure. The three armored figures were gazing at Sailor Moon who was standing a few feet away from them, looking angry.

"Attackng an innocent is unforgivable!" Sailor Moon called. "I Sailor Moon will not let this go unpunished."

Kabuto watched the girl in a bit of curiosity. He knew that he shouldn't underestimate this girl. If there were as many attacks as the papers and rumors had said there were, she would have a lot of experience.

"Neither will I, Sailor Venus!" soemone new spoke.

Hakabuto was closest and he turned his gaze to the left. There was a girl in an outfit similar to Sailor Moon's. Her outfit was white and orange. She also had long blonde hair that hung down her back with a red bow tying some of it back. She didn't look happy.

"Sailor Jupiter won't either!" another girl called.

Gatack dared a glance and saw a girl in a green and white outfit. She had brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. She seemed equally angry with how Hakabuto was holding the priestess.

"I, Sailor Mercury will not stand idly by!" yet another person spoke. Kabuto dared a glance closer to Venus and saw a girl in blue and white. She had short blue hair and a very determined look on her face.

"You have to admit," Hakabuto whispered to Raye. "They know how to make an entrance."

Had the situation not been anymore serious, Raye would have started laughing. To be honest, she was quickly growing fearful of the situation. Her friends were probably not going to listen, thinking these men had attacked her. She was also afraid for her friends. The monster that the lady called a daimon was incredibly fast and obviously strong. What worried her was that she knew at least one of these guys could match it. Match it and take it down with one kick.

"So you are the Sailor Scouts that I have heard about," Kabuto nodded. "You're a little late,"

"Well I think we're just in time to save that priestess from you!" Sailor Moon shouted back.

"WHAT?!" Gatack and Hakabuto gasped.

"Let her go now or be moondusted!" Venus shouted from her vantage point.

"We didn't do anything!" Hakabuto argued.

"A likely story!" Jupiter frowned as she tensed for battle.

"Grandmother said this," Kabuto quoted. "The world around us can be percieved in many ways. It takes a keen eye to see the truth."

"Enough!" Venus shouted. "_Venus Crescent Beam Smash_!"

Hakabuto's eyes widened underneath his visor as he saw Venus fire a blast of energy from her hand at him. Reacting quickly, Hakabuto gripped Raye's shoulders and pulled her out of the way of the attack, along with himself. It continued along until it hit the ground. The impct from the blast left a small hole.

"You okay?" Hakabuto asked Raye. The girl weakly nodded, still recovering her voice.

Hakabuto gently placed Raye against the wall and turned to face Sailor Venus. He was so focused on facing her, he didn't notice someone trying to come up behind him. It wasn't until Sailor Jupiter grabbed his right arm that he realsied what had happened.

"Oh no," Hakabuto groaned.

"Thanks Jupiter!" Venus smiled. "_Venus Crescent beam Smash_!"

He couldn't dodge this time and the attack exploded off his right chest. The force pushed him back, almost stumbling. He tried to get get Jupiter off of him, but Venus quickly grabbed his other arm and both of them pinned his arms. Hakabuto knew he might be stronger, but he didn't want to hurt them too badly if they were the good guys.

"Okay buddy!" Sailor Jupiter said sternly. "Why did you attack that girl!?"

"Yeah!" Venus frowned. "Talk!"

Hakabuto sighed as he glanced at the two Sailor Scouts. He knew he had to get them off of him. It wasn't until he got anny idea that he smiled underneath his helmet.

"Okay okay!" he groaned, pretending to give up. "You'll have to get the armor off me though before I can."

"Then how do we get it off?" asked Venus.

"My bracelet," Hakabuto answered. "The one that looks like a beetle."

"I see it," Venus replied, fingering the golden zector on his arm.

"The biggest horn," Hakabuto instructed. "Push it up slightly to unlock it."

"Gotcha," Venus nodded as she followed his instructions to the word.

Venus touched to horn and pushed it slightly. It snapped into an unlocked positon and both scouts began to feel electric shocks run thrugh their hands. They looked to their captive and noticed that his arm, chest, and head armor was loosening as the energy began running through his body.

"Okay," Hakabuto instructed. "It's ready to come off. Just pull the horn all the way to the back."

Venus nodded as she followed the instructions. When the horn touched the far back, he called his order, "Cast Off!"

"Cast off?" asked both Sailor Scouts.

"CAST OFF!" the Zector echoed.

The scouts suddenly felt an impact against their bodies as their captive seemed to almost explode. The pieces of his armor shot like rockets away from him. It also pushed Venus and Jupiter away from him. The two Scouts landed hard as the pieces vanished.

"What the-?" gasped Venus.

"What a cheap trick!" Jupiter growled.

Hakabuto sighed in relief as he stood up. From their hidden places, his horns folded themselves onto his helmet, giving him a new look.

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!" the zector called, activiating his Rider form.

Raye watched from her seat. She was surprised to see the golden figure change like that. When the armor announced itself, Raye suddenly got a flash from her dream. The warriors that stood beside her and the other scouts. Two grasshoppers, a wasp, a dragonfly, a scorpion...

"And three beetles," Raye whispered as it dawned on her.

Now that she looked at the red figure, she did notice a slight insect appearance. Very much like a beetle. When she peered at the blue figure who was facing off against Mercury, she could guess what his motiff was. She had to stop this before someone got seriously hurt.

* * *

While Raye struggled to her feet, Gatack was still facing down Mercury. He hadn't made a move since the Sailor Scout had cut him off from running to Hakabuto's aid.

"We don't have to fight," he said to Mercury, truly not wanting to fight her.

"Then why did you attack that girl?" asked Mercury.

"We didn't," Gatack replied honestly. "We stopped a monster from doing that. It's the truth so please let me pass."

"I can't do that," Mercury replied, taking a figting stance.

Gatack sighed as his muscles tensed, "Then I'm sorry for what must be done."

Gatack then charged at Mercury, trying to out her down. He didn't have a problem with fighting girls since many worms had taken the forms of women many times before. Mercury was proving to be a slippery one in how she was dodging his attacks. He kenw she was a one of the good guys so he wasn't about to use his shoulder guns on her.

After taking another swipe at her and missing, Mercury backed off and took another stance as Gatack turned to face her.

"_Shine Aqua Illusion_!" Mercury cried as she launched a stream of water at Gatack.

Gatack saw the attack coming and tried to dodge it. Having to fight worms who could go super speeds in the blink of an eye really helped increase one's reflexes. However, the water did manage to catch Gatack's legs and left arm. It really shocked him to see the water encse said body parts in ice.

"Gah!" Gatack gasped as the cold hit him.

Mercury allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She still kept an eye on Gatack's shoulder mounted gun that wasn't frozen. She was hoping to get all of him so that they wouldn't be a threat. She was still ready to jump in case he took a shot at her, but she assumed she had won. She decided to try and get a readout on what exactly her opponent was and what weaknesses it had.

Gattack felt the chill of the ice down to his bones. How Sailor Mercury had managed to do this to him was a complete mystery to him.

'G-gotta g-get f-f-free,' he stuttered to himself, the cold really getting to him.

With his free arm, Gatack reached towards his zector. He was relieved to find that the ice hadn't gotten to it. With shaking fingers, he gripped the mouthpartsof his zector. The energy ran through his armor and actually warmed him slightly. As the outer armor expanded, the ice covering it began to crack. The energy running throough his body even caused the ice on his legs to crack as it warmed.

"What is going on?" Mercury gasped as she tried to get a reading on her Mercury computer.

"C-Cast Off," Gatack spoke as he pullled the mandibles back.

"CAST OFF!" the zector roared.

The ice seemed to expolde as Mercury took cover from the rain of metal and steel. When the downfall stopped, Mercury dared to glance at her opponent. Her mouth was actuallly caught wode open in shock as she gazed at Gatack.

His guns were completely gone. What was on his box-like shoulder pads now looked like short blades styled after stag beetle mandibles. His chest plate was styled after a beetle abdomen and his arms were clear of the cyllindrical sections. His head had the same silver mouthguard and the red eyes were now larger. On the sides of his head two horns rose the the sides. They were styled after stag beetle mandibles.

"CHANGE STAG BEETLE!" the Zector called as the armor kicked into action.

Raye noticed the blue armored man transform. When the armor spoke out she was now certain of it. These three were the warriors from her dream. Three of them anyway. She struggled to her feet as she watched the unfolding events.

"I have to stop this," she whispered weakly. "It has to stop."

* * *

Sailor Moon was staring down Kabuto angrily. She and Raye may have their differences every now and then but she was still a precious friend. She would never forgive anyone who wanted to cause her or any of her friends harm.

Kabuto was likewise keeping a careful eye on Sailor Moon. Fighting a human was nothing like fighting a worm. Most worms ran on instinct and just went and did whatever they wanted. A human could strategize and plan ahead. He had never seen any of the Sailor Scouts fight before so he didn't know what to expect. Still, he wasn't about to back down.The girl was obviously angry at the apparent threat to the priestess and wanted some form of retribution. She obviously thought that he and the other riders had done it.

'Some people just never think before acting,' Kabuto sighed at the thought. The thought also brought upmemories of certain other riders he knew.

"Prepare to be moondusted!" Sailor Moon cried as she summoned her sceptre.

Kabuto's head tilted in something close to surprise. To just call an object out of nowhere like that. He hadn't even considered it a possibility unless they had advanced technology. Then he remembered that since this was a different world, a different set of rules probably applied.

"_Moon Princess Halation_!" Sailor Moon cried as a disk shaped like a crescent moon fired at Kabuto.

It was at an impressive speed at the red rider. Sailor Moon was confident that it was going to hit the target. Kabuto had a fleeting thought at how powerful this attack probably was if she was the strongest of the Scouts.

"Clock Up!" Kabuto said sternly as he hit the button on the side of his belt.

"CLOCK UP!" the zector called as it activated.

Kabuto looked up as he sped up to the point of everything stood still. He saw the magical attack on a few inches from his face.

"Impressive," he mused. Not many ranged attacks got that close to him before.

Taking a step back so he could catch a breather, Kabuto noticed something near the tree that he had defeated a moment ago. It looked like a broken plant seed but it looked too big to be any native kind. He stepped closer to it and saw that the seed was hollow on the inside. Whatever had been inside was probably what made the tree turn into a monster. Kabuto kneeled down and collected the pieces into his left hand before standing up. Most likely the thing that was inside the seed died when Kabuto used his Rider Kick on it.

"Grandmother always did say to take one problem at a time and all the answers will come in time," Kabuto quoted to himself.

Clutching the seed remains, Kabuto walked back to where he stood in front of Sailor Moon's attack, albiet a bit further than where he started. He stood straight and reached to his belt.

"1, 2, 3," the Rhino Beetle Zector echoed as Kabuto pressed the buttons and reset the horn.

"Rider Kick," Kabuto commended as he pulled the horn again.

"RIDER KICK!" the Zector echoed.

As the energy began racing through Kabuto's body for the second time that day, the zector began to speak again.

"CLOCK OVER!" it spoke.

That was when everything began speeding up again. Sailor Moon's attack started spinning towards him again. This time, Kanuto was prepared. When it came within range, Kabuto unleashed another roundhouse which slammed into the spinning moon. There was a sound a little like shattering glass before the spinning moon was hurled back at Sailor Moon.

"Whaagh!" the leader of the Scouts cried as she fell back, avoiding the attack.

The spinning crescent moon just barely missed the girl before landing on the ground. When it stopped, the attack crumbled to dust. Kabuto looked at the girl as she seemed a little in shock. No doubt becauseshe wasn't used to her attacks launched back at her. She tried to move again, but the brooch on the centre of her chest suddenly shuddered and fell to the ground. The attack had probably dislodged it when it rushed past.

Sailor Moon was suddenly engulfed in pink ribbons that flew everywhere. After a few moments they vanished to reveal a shocked girl with two ponytails was sitting on the ground. Kabuto was standing still, not making a movement. The girl was struggling to find some words. The Sailor Scouts were all frozen in shock at what they had just seen. Hakabuto and Gatack were taking it well, but were wondering why anyone would need a flashy transformation like that.

Kabuto looked at the girl before stepping forward towards her. She was desperately trying to cover her face with her hands and shirt. Obviously she had a secret identity to keep.

"Get away from her!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

Kabuto then found himself facing the three remaining Sailor Scouts. They looked anything but happy. Kabuto stopped his march and looked to the ground. The Scouts were confused at what he was doing until they saw him kneel down and actually scoop up Sailor Moon's brooch in his hand.

"Hey!" Sailor Venus cried. "Give that back!"

Kabuto seemed to ignore her as he stepped forward again. He shrugged past the three enraged/confused scouts. He stopped right in front of the blonde girl again who was still on her behind, now looking afraid. Kabuto kneeled down in front of her and held out the brooch of her.

"My apologies," Kabuto spoke in an even and serious tone. "It wasn't my intention for that too happen. I hope I did not scare you needlessly."

"Uh...uh..n-no," the girl replied hesitantly as she took the brooch back. She had covered her face with her shirt so to keep her identity a secret.

Kabuto nodded as he stood up and walked past the scouts. Hakabuto and Gatack took up his sides. The three of them had their gazes levelled on the Sailor Scouts. It was obviously a standoff now.

"Wait!" Raye screamed as she ran forward between them. "Please stop!"

"What!" the three Scouts shrieked.

Raye didn't seem to listen to them as she turned to the three riders. She took a deep breath before pleacing her hands in front of her and bowing deeply.

"I humbly thank you for rescuing me," she spoke, slightly surprising the older Riders. They hadn't been thanked that much in their line of work before.

Raye didn't seem to be intimidated or surprised as she continued, "Can I please know the names of the men who saved me?"

The two oldest riders were taken aback again. Usually when someone saw them fight super strong monsters and win, they tended to run away fast. Instead, here was a girl who not only thanked them, but also wanted to know who they were. Kabuto decided to begin.

"Kamen Rider Kabuto," Kabuto introduced.

"Heh, Kamen Rider Gatack," Gatack introduced, happy for the appreciation.

"Uh...K-Kamen Rider Hakabuto," the final rider introduced shyly.

"I am Raye Hino," the young priestess smiled. "Again, thank you for saving me."

Kabuto noticed how the girl was putting emphasis in the words relating to rescues. She was making it painfully known as to who was rescued. Gatack was finding that he was loving the praise while Hakabuto was trying not to look too shy, even if they couldn't see his face.

"Ahh, don't mention it," Gatack laughed goofily before looking at the scouts. "No hard feelings?"

The blonde girl with the ponytails finally spoke, "No hard feelings at all! Just a misunderstanding!"

She was laughing nervously, trying not to look dumb. Kabuto didn't react while Hakabuto and Gatack looked at each other in confusion.

"I'm leaving," Kabuto remarked as he began walking for the stairs. Gatack quickly followed him, not seeing a reason to stay. Hakabuto seemed hesitant, but he then stepped closer to Raye.

"I hope we can meet in better circumstances," he spoke before turning to the scouts. "And I hope you don't think poorly of my friends."

Hakabuto, saying his piece began running after his comrades. The girls followed them but when they finally got them in their sights, they heard the words 'clock up' and the three riders vanished.

"Woah!" Serena gasped as she saw them vanish.

"Where'd they go?" asked Venus.

"Raye?" asked Mercury. "What just happened?"

"I think I should explain inside," Raye spoke. "So change back and come inside."

* * *

"Kaolinite," Professer Tomoe spoke. "I understand that the heart crystal did not have a talisman."

"I apologize," Kaolinite frowned sadly. "I will ensure to try and be more precise."

"Fear not," the Professer smiled. "I knew that this would not be an easy task. What I am concerned about is the unaccounted interruption. Care to explain?"

Kaolinite frowned even deeper, "I...I don't know. I haven't seen anything like it before. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry Kaolinite," the Professer snickered. "I haven't even seen anything like this myself. I couldn't expect you to know about it either. I only asked because I am curious. Now, do you have a theory?"

"Not much of one," Kaolinite admitted. "I can only assume that wherever these variables came from, it has to do with that energy spike that we felt earlier."

"A sound theory," the Professer nodded. "Although I expect you to continue your duties in the search, please try to find out anything you can about these variables."

"Of course sir," Kaolinite smiled before turning away and heading into the darker parts of the lab.

"Kamen Rider Kabuto, Gatack, and Hakabuto," the professer pondered. "How you intrigue me so. I so look forward to finding out more about you."

* * *

Walking down the streets again, Tendou was leading the way with Yagami and Kagami behind him. He was being silent again and ignoring any questions that were sent his way.

"Is he always like this?" Yagami asked Kagami.

"As long as I've known him," Kagami replied.

While the other two riders had a meeting of the minds, Tendou was staring at the broken seed in his hand. The more he thought about it, and the circumstances of where he found it, the more he was certain that it was the key to who had created the monster.

'_Daimon,_' he mentally corrected. '_That's what that girl said at the shrine._'

All the while he was walking, he was comparing the daimon against what he faced with worms. Daimon were strong. Just as much as Worms. They were pretty fast too. Well below Clock Up speed but still quick for those who were unprepared. He also made notes about the Sailor Scouts. They were full of surprises and seemed to have an affinity to certain parts of nature. They seemed a little young for the job but that wasn't his choice to make. What was a slight detail that he noticed in the fight. There were only four scouts at the fight. Tendou read that there were supposed to be five. One for each planetary body inside the asteroid belt. A second note he made was that there was no representation for Earth. An oddity, but then again, he had only seen them in battle once. The warriors for Mars and Earth probably couldn't be at the battle.

Tendou sighed before looking ahead and putting the seed back into his pocket. One problem at a time. These daimon were a threat that had to be dealt with and an egnima that had to be learned. The way creatures were made would come first before he would deal with those who made them.

* * *

Two female figures stood atop a roof while they considered the days events.

"We were expecting the scouts," said the one with shoulder length hair. "But who were those men in the suits of armor?"

"Don't know, don't care," the one with short hair remarked casually. "I don't like the gold one amd if he gets in the way again then I will take him down."

"Personally I think he's friendly," the first figure spoke, earning something of a glare from the second. "He was just worried about the girl."

"We still have to complete our mission," the second figure spoke, earning a nod from the first. "If these armored bugs prove to be a threat to it, we will have to get them out of the way."

The first figure nodded again, albiet a little sadly.

To Be Continued

A/N: There we go. The next chapter is up. The scouts take on the riders and Moon takes a hit. How will the appearance of the riders affect things? Heck, I'm the writer and I'm not even sure. There's just so many ways I can take this. I guess you'll just have to wait and see.


	5. The Moon Heart Rod! Zabee Flies Solo!

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am not making any kind of money on this and should not be accused as such. Not to say I wouldn't like to make money off it but since I don't own it I can't. Life is so unfair.  
-Ten-faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 4: The Moon Heart Rod! Zabee Flies Solo!

The day had begun nicely for the members of the Tsukino household. Everyone was sleeping soundly, well, almost everyone. The one member who wasn't sleeping so soundly was Serena. She was trapped in a nightmare as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Somehow, she was keeping Luna from falling off even while going through her nightmare.

**Begin Dream...**

_In her dream, Serena was trying so hard to transform into Sailor Moon. Ever since Kabuto had managed to knock the brooch off her, the crystal wouldn't shine as much as it used to. Serena tried over and over to transform, but she could only go halfway before failing and changing back._

_"Why won't it work?" Serena whined as she dropped to her knees._

_"Why don't you just give up?" a female voice snapped._

_Serena looked up and saw her fellow Sailor Scouts looking down on her. They all looked fed up and impatient with her._

_"If you can't transform then why keep you around?" sighed Sailor Jupiter._

_"I think it's time to retire Serena," Sailor Mercury added._

_With their piece said, the scouts turned their back to her and began to walk away. Serena chased after them, begging for them to wait and give her a chance, but they wouldn't listen to her. Still, she continued to run until she tripped and fell. Tears came to her eyes as she sat up._

_"I thought you were my friends," she sobbed._

_She continued to cry until she felt someone put their hands on her shoulders. She looked up expecting the gentle eyes of her love Darien, but what she got was the large blue visor of Kamen Rider Kabuto in his rider form. Behind him were the forms of Hakabuto and Gatack also in rider mode._

_"This is all my fault," Kabuto sighed as he helped Serena to her feet. "I was the one who knocked your brooch off and stopped your powers."_

_"Ah, Kabuto," Gatack sighed. "It's no use blaming yourself. What's done is done and can't be helped. All we can do is move on."_

_"That's right," Serena nodded, forgetting her tears for the moment. "I can come back from this!"_

_"The least we can do is help in that case," Hakabuto laughed._

_He stepped forward and handed Serena a new brooch. It was grey and circular and fit perfectly where her old one used to be._

_"If you can't be a Sailor Scout," Kabuto reasoned. "Then you can help us."_

_A buzzing sound echoed through the dreamscape and Serena saw a circular ladybug come down and hover in front of her. Her eyes bulged at seeing the roboticc insect in front of her._

_"Uh...uh," she sputtered, not konwing how to react to the insect._

_It wasn't until the bug had lunged at her did she actually scream. She tried to swat it away but, it got through her and latched intself onto her new brooch. It fit perfectly._

_"Huh?" Serena gasped._

_She looked at herself to find a dark red armor beginning to cover her. When she felt it cover her entirely, she turned to see Gatack and Hakabuto holding a full body mirror so she could look at herself._

_She had to admit that the armor fit to her figure pretty well. The chest was rather box-like with red and black accents. There were exhaust vents on her shoulder blades and the shoulders themselves. The shoulder pads were all red with a black circle with a white ladybug in it. The face had a silver mouthguard with two crystal blue eyes on it. The overall shaped was box-like like the rest. Her ponytails were actually covered in armor which with the insect appearance, made them look like antennae._

_"Hello Kamen Rider Ladia," Kabuto greeted._

**End Dream...**

"Waaaaagh!" Serena screamed as she sat up in bed and scared the daylights out of Luna.

"Wha!!" Luna shrieked as she almost fell off the bed. "Serena, what's the matter?"

"I had a horrible dream," Serena whined. "I dreamed that I wasn't able to transform into Sailor Moon anymore. Then the others left me because I couldn't fight anymore."

"Oh Serena," Luna frowned sadly. "You know that isn't true."

"I know," Serena sighed. "But at least the dream got a litttle better. Those Kamen Rider guys showed up and Kabuto apologised for what he did. He then made me a Kamen Rider like him and his friends."

"Serena, you are Sailor Moon and that will never change," Luna spoke as she put herself on Serena's lap. "The crystal will shine again and the scouts would never leave you. And we don't even lnow that much about those Riders anyway."

Serena nodded as she gazed at the dulled silver crystal. She was so worried that her friends would need her and she wouldn't be able to help. She wanted to be angry with Kabuto, but she couldn't. He said himself that it wasn't his intention to do what he did. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

* * *

Deep in his laboratory, Professer Tomoe was pouring his attention over producing his next daimon. He seemed like a man posessed as he stared unblinkingly at his process.

"Kaolinite," he suddenly called.

"Yes Professer?" the redhead in question asked as she suddenly appeared.

"The next Daimon is almost ready," the Professer spoke. "Have you selected a new target?"

"Of course," Kaolinite smiled, priding herself on how she got things done. "You know me."

"Of course," the Professer smiled. "Your timing is flawless as always."

Kaolinite seemed to almost blush under the praise. Tomoe returned his attention to his process as he poured the essence of a Daimon into a large vial of green liquid. The concoction frothed violently before the vial shattered, spilling the liquid everywhere. Where the vial once was the daimon seed now hovered.

"Excellent," the Professer grinned. "Go my Daimon. Go and seek out our target."

The seed seemed to understand him as it hovered to the celing. It shot into a pipe as it headed for the surface. Upon the streets, a section of sidewalk came loose as the seed launched into the sky.

"Very good," the Professer smiled. "Kaolinite, you know what to do."

"Of course," Kaolinite smiled before vanishing, leaving her lab coat behind.

* * *

Kamemaru was feeling a little lost at the moment. He had spent most of the day before creating dummy accounts for the other riders. Everyone was satisfied for the most part. Kageyama and Yaguruma said that they now didn't have a reason to go after him. Tsurugi said he should have more money to befit his status. Kamemaru said that he should be happy with what he got. He had to rip off eight people in eight different banks to get what everyone got. Now Kamemaru was going to try and find a place to stay.

He wasn't wearing his usual black suit from Zect. He was wearing a chinese shirt with the sleeves rolled up with black jeans and sneakers. He let his hair stay untied as he searched for the apartment complex he read that had a vacancy.

"How the heck am I going to find this place?" Kamemaru groaned to himself.

He rubbbed his wrist where the Zabee Zector was placed. It gave him security when he was about to get into trouble and reminded the squad just who was in charge. Right now it was providing more security than intimidation.

Taking a relaxing sigh, he began walking again. Turning a corner, he walked along an old crumbling wall. He looked ahead and noticed someone trying to get through a hole in said crumbling wall. On closer inspection the person seemed to be a girl with shoulder length brown hair and was wearing an orange shirt. She was also holding a large bag of cat food and a large plastic dish in both hands. She seemed to be having trouble fitting all of the stuff through the hole along with her.

"Hey there," Kamemaru smiled, surprising the girl. "Need some help?"

"Oh!" the girl gasped, surprised that someone saw her. "Um, yes please."

Kamemaru continued his friendly grin as he took the cat food from the girl. She smiled gratefully as she slipped through the hole. Kanemaru wasn't far behind her. He looked at the old building and saw how run down it was, but also just how big it was.

"Wow," he admired. "This place must have been something in it's prime."

"Yes," the girl smiled. "Nowadays all the stay cats in the area live here. Most of them are just kittens."

"Kittens?" Kanemaru asked, surprised. "Do you take care of them?"

"Yup!" the girl smiled. "I just love cats. Do you like them..uh..."

"Kamemaru," he smiled. "Just call me Kamemaru. I guess I don't mind cats. I'm rather attatched to insects though. Bees to be more specific."

"I guess bees are fine in their own way," the girl shrugged. "Except when they sting you though. Ouch!"

"I guess so," Kamemaru laughed. "They only do that when they're afraid though, or want to protect their home. You'd do the same for these cats, wouldn't you?"

"Hmm," the girl pondered as they reached the door. "I didn't think of it that way. Oh! I forgot to intoduce myself. My name's Megumi."

"It's a pleasure Megumi," Kamemaru smiled.

The two new friends helped place the bowl and fill it for the cats. When Megumi called out to all of them, they just came flying out of the woodwork. It amazed Kamemaru to see so many of them. They were of all different colors and sizes. Like Megumi said, they were mostly kittens. Even the oldest ones seemed not that much bigger.

"Wow," Kamemaru finally spoke. "There's so many of them and they're all so small."

"Yep," Megumi smiled. "Aren't they all so cute?"

Kamemaru smiled as Megumi fawned over the kittens. She seemed to love them all so much. She had taken care of them for who knows how long and the kittens seemed to love her for it. He then idly remembered what Tendou told him about the monster that attacked the priestess, then became afraid for Megumi. The monsters wanted pure hearts for some obscure reason. He wondered idly if Megumi had a pure heart. It would probably be a safe bet that she did. Kamemaru knew that he had met her just a moment ago, but he couldn't help but like her, she was one of those people who could easily make friends.

"So are you two the ones who take care of these cats?" asked a female voice.

"Who's there?" gasped Megumi as she stood up.

Kamemaru almost summoned the Zabee Zector as he was snapped out of his thoughts. He calmed his nerves. he looked to where the voice had come from and noticed a girl in a green skirt and red shirt. She had put herself in a silly pose.

"Just a defender of love and justice," the girl smiled

A second later, a boy with black hair poked his head around the corner, snickering at the girl's antics. He was obviously her boyfriend, even if he seemed a few years older. He just handed his girl a small bag of cat food and the two of them walked over to the small crowd of cats, laughing at their antics. Megumi and Kamemaru couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So, do you take care of the cats here?" the girl asked.

"She usually does," Kamemaru replied, gesturing to Megumi. "I just caught her needing some help today."

"Well that's awfully nice of you," the boy smiled as he held out his hand. "My name's Darien."

"Pleasure," Kamemaru smiled as he shook Darien's hand. "My name's Kamemaru. Who's your girlfriend?"

The girl blushed while giggling merrily as she stood up from where she was feeding the cats, "My name's Serena. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Kamemaru grinned. "The cat girl here is Megumi."

"Hello," Megumi smiled.

"So do you really take care of all these kittens by yourself?" asked Serena.

"Yeah," Megumi nodded. "But not for much longer."

"What do you mean?" asked Darien.

"This building is set for demolition," Megumi replied. "The kittens won't have anywhere to go after that."

"That's terrible," Serena frowned. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I don't know," Megumi frowned. "I can't bring them home and there's too many even if I could."

"Well then," Serena replied as she stood up, looking determined. "I'll just have to find owners for them all. Darien will help me too!"

The boy in question sweatdropped, "I...guess I could."

Kamemaru watched the exchange and snickered to himself, 'Darien my friend, you are so whipped.'

Megumi stood up with the brightest smile on her face, "Oh thank you so much!"

It went on for a whilewith the girls fed the kittens and cuddled a few of them. Darien and Kamemaru seemed to make small talk. It seemed to Kamemaru that Darien spent a lot of time around girls and liked to talk to a guy every chance he got. After a while the two lovebirds had to leave. When all the cat food was gone Kamemaru helped her clean up and the two of them headed outside.

"Thank you for helping me Kamemaru," Megumi smiled.

"I was happy to help," Kamemaru smiled before he seemed to remember something. "Oh before I forget, do you know where this place is?"

He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Megumi. The girl looked over what was written on it before smiling broadly.

"I know exactly where this is," she smiled. "I live there after all."

"Really?" asked Kamemaru. "Wow, how's that for convenient?"

Megumi giggled slightly.

* * *

Through the sky, the Daimon seed continued on it's way. It was so close now, it could feel it. The seed came over a building and hovered through a window. It found itself inside a room filled with cat merchandise. Looking for a covenient object, the seed implanted itself within a cat puzzle. There it would wait. The target frequented here and all it had to do was wait. It did have all the time in the world after all.

* * *

Megumi quickly walked into her apartment after guiding Kamemaru to the landlord. She really liked him. She idly wondered if he would like to help her feed the cats again. Megumi entered the apartment and noticed that her parents weren't home. Sighing after her hard work, she just wanted to rest in her room and work on her puzzle.

She stepped into her room and saw her puzzle right where she left it. With a smile, she sat in her char and stared at the pieces she hadn't used yet. After a moment of consideration, she picked up a piece and snapped it into place. After she took her hand away, the puzzle began to glow brightly. Shocked, Megumi began to back away. She watched in growing terror as the puzzle began to grow and mutate. It soon became a female figure as the light dimmed. Megumi soon found herself looking at a purple skinned, black-haired woman. She was wearing a sultry cat girl outfit and an evil smirk.

"NEKONELL!" the woman shrieked in glee. "Your heart. The one that welcomes all felines into it's arms. I must have it!"

With that, Nekonell leaped at Megumi with her claws outstretched. Megumi shrieked in terror before dodging the claws and rushing out the door. Nekonell enjoyed the impending chase as she leaped after her target.

Megumi raced out her front door and tried to close it when a cat's tail snaked it's way out and wrapped around her neck. Megumi began choking before she slammed the door on the tail. To her surprise, the tail fell off where the door slammed on it. As it hit the ground, it broke into what looked like puzzle pieces. Not wasting the chance, Megumi ran down the hall towards the exit.

Behind her, Nekonell opened the door and stood in the small pile of puzzle pieces. After a moment the pieces came towards her and reconstructed into her tail. An evil smirk was on her faace as she looked down the hall where Megumi made her escape. It was time for the hunt to begin.

* * *

Kamemaru was walking along the streets with a wide grin on his face. It was childsplay to get the new apartment. It was even fully furnished to boot! He figured that he was one of the luckiest guys in Tokyo. He couldn't wait to rub this in the face of the other riders. They were all probably staying in hotels.

His musing was cut short as he watched Megumi dash in front of him towards the old building. He blinked as he watched her go. She looked absolutely terrified for some reason. While trying to think of a reason for her fear he heard something that sent a shover down his spine.

"NEKONELL!" a voice shrieked from above.

Kamemaru looked up and saw something that scared him. It looked to be some kind of woman in a cat costume leapeing from streetlight to streetlight. He idly noticed that he could see up the female monsters skirt. Had that been a real woman and not a monster, he may have appreciated the view. As it was, he began to chase the monster, deciding that it was the reason why Megumi was running. He swiftly decided the it was time for Kamen Rider Zabee to introduce himself to the enemy.

* * *

Megumi managed to get in through the back door and was in the main hall and was gasping for breath. She figured that she had lost the monster. She just couldn't understand how it had come out of her puzzle. She was just so scared and confused right now.

A sudden crash raged through the hall and Megumi turned to the source of the noise. She screamed in fear when she saw the cat/puzzle monster that was chasing her. The monster smirked as it saw her.

"Caught you," it smirked. "Now hold still."

The monster lifted its skirt a little, revealing a black star on it's thigh that was pointing at Megumi. It flickered in black energy before shooting straight at her and hitting her in the chest.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!" Megumi screamed in absolute pain.

Outside, Serena, who had returned with her friends along with Luna and Artemis, to convince them to bring a few of the cats home, heard the scream.

"Who was that?" she gasped.

"They might be in trouble!" Lita spoke. "It might be another daimon!"

The girls all raced inside while grabbing their means of transforming. They raised their hands above their heads and called for their power.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

"MARS STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

Serena tried her hand at transforming, but the crystal wouldn't shine. She kept trying but nothing was happening. Serena slumped slightly as she felt useless again.

"Don't worry about it," said Sailor Mars.

"Yeah," smiled Sailor Jupiter. "You hang back and make sure whoever's inside is okay."

Serena nodded sadly, but she followed her friends inside. They entered the main hall and their eyes landed on the cat monster which was holding a crystal that was similar to the one that came out of Raye. Megumi was slumped against a pillar. Her skin was a strange blue color and she was out cold.

"Hey!" Sailor Venus shouted loudly. "Put that back!"

"Mwr?" Nekonell meowed as she turned to the scouts.

"_Mars Fireball Ignite_!" Sailor Mars called as she fired her attack.

"_Jupiter Supreme Thunder Crash_!" Jupiter called, adding her power to the mix.

The two attacks combined as they raced towards the daimon. Nekonell smirked as it came towards her. She split her tails into nine different ones and began spinning at a rapid pace. The attack seemed to almost hit her until Nekonell hit the attack wwith her tails. In the next instant, the mix of fire and thunder came right back at the scouts. They cried out as it hit and exploded and sent debris everywhere.

"Oh no!" Serena cried as she saw what happened.

As the dust settled, the scouts could be seen, but they were all scuffed up and some of their outfits had slight burns. Nekonell looked on with a satisfied purr. She figured that all obstacles had been overcome.

"_Neptune Deep Submerge_!" a new voice cried.

Nekonell found herself hit from behind by the concentrated power of water. She cried in pain as pieces of her body disassembled. The heart crystal went into the air and was caught by one of two figures that were standing in front of the large window on the stairs.

"How is it?" asked the first figure, who had shoulder length hair.

"It isn't a talisman," said the second, who had short hair.

The secodn figure held out her arm and the heart crystal flew straight at Megumi. It entered her chest and vanished. After it was fully put back into place, her skin returned to normal. While the two figures stood to make sure that the crystal was put back, the other Scouts turned to see them.

"Who are they?" asked Juptier.

"Judging by the outfit," said Luna. "I think they're Sailor Scouts!"

The two figures seemed to glance at the other scouts before they turned to leave.

"Wait!" Serena cried out. "If you two really are Sailor Scouts, please help us!"

"Hn," the second figure snorted. "We may be Sailor Scouts with the same goal, but that does not mean we have to help you."

They turned to leave again before they were interrupted yet again.

"You two? Sailor Scouts?" a male voice laughed. "I doubt it."

"What!" the second figure growled.

Everyone looked up to see a male figure standing on the second floor railing. He couldn't be seen that well with the lack of light shielding his features. Before the second figure could yell at him, he continued.

"I've come to understand that Sailor Scouts stand for love and justice, which you obviously don't." He turned to gaze at Megumi. "That girl's heart is so full of love for cats yet you don't seem to care. Stealing her heart is an act that demands justice, which you don't seem to care about either. You call yourselves Sailor Scouts? I call you girls playing pretend."

The first figure seemed rather hurt by the words the male spoke. The second seemed to be pissed off.

"Hey pal!" she growled. "Who do you think you are?!"

"Me?" the male asked. "I am but the one who brings justice for the forgotten."

A cracking sound could be heard and everyone turned their attention to the all behind Serena. The wall cracked some more before a robotic bee came smashing through.

"Ahhhh!" Serena shrieked while waving her arms wildly. "A bee! Keep it away, keep it away!"

The robotic bee just continued on it's way, scattering Nekonell's remaining pices as she regenterated. It stopped in front of the to figures and buzzed at them angrily while waving it's stinger. It then buzzed up to the male figure who caught it in his hand. He then raised his left arm which that showed something metal that the light was glinting off.

"Hensin!" the man called as he attatched the bee to the metal object on his wrist.

"HENSHIN!" a robotic voice echoed after him.

The scouts could see some kind of hexagonal light cover him as the figures body changed. For a brief moment, more hexagons flashed on his face as the change completed. The figure then leaped to the ground floor and stood straight, glaring at both the regenerating Nekonell and the two figures.

"I...am Kamen Rider Zabee!" he spoke, finally introducing himself.

"Another one?" the Scouts, including the two at the window gasped.

Nekonell unleashed a wailing meow as she finally came back together again. She glared at Zabee and the Sailor Scouts she had put down.

"Make sure that the girl is okay," Zabee spoke as he moved into a battle stance. "I'll take care of the daimon."

Above them, the to mystery Scouts turned to leave yet again. Hopefully without any interruptions.

"Let's go," the second figure sighed.

"R-right," the first nodded, Zabee's words still ringing in her ears.

As the two of the vanished, Nekonell lunged at Zabee with her claws outstretched. Zabee quickly leaped back to avoid a slash, though Nekonell did send sparks across his chest. Zabee retaliated with a forward kick that pushed her back. He followed up with a right hook and then a left before planting a punch into Nekonell's gut, knocking the wind out of her and loosening a few pieces of her. He finished with a fierce uppercut that put her onto the floor.

Seeing her healing her wounds, Zabee reached to his Zector and flippped the winges before turning the stinger outward.

"Cast Off," he spoke calmly as the armor loosened.

"Smack the ground!" Venus shrieked as everyone got low. She actully meant hit the dirt but her awful memory for sayings kicked in.

"CAST OFF!" the Zector called as the armor expoded off of his body and was embedded in the walls. Nekonell got hit by a few pieces which left holes in her body.

"CHANGE WASP!" the armor called, activating Zabee's rider form.

Sailor Mars gasped as she heard the armor speak. Another one of the warriors from her dream had arrived. There as a total of four now. Only another four were left.

Nekonell shivered in anger as the pieces the armor had shot out came back to her. Zabee quickly knew that she would attack soon so he reached to his zector and pressed the button on the back.

"Rider Sting!" he called as energy raced through his body.

"RIDER STING!" the Zector echoed as the attack charged.

Zabee lunged forward as Nekonell got herself together. She looked at what was coming and gasped at it. Zabee planted his fist in her chest and imbedded the stinger in her. He thought he had won for a moment before he saw Nekonell laugh as her torso caame apart and he fell to the ground.

'_Oh crap,_' Zabee thought to himself. '_Since she can come apart, stabbing her will only slow her down!_'

Meanwhile...

Serena had partially carried Megumi into a hallway where she thought she would be safe. She could hear the battle between the new guy Zabee and the daimon. She knew that her friends would be alright, but she just wished that she could do something more. She winced as she heard more crashing. When the door suddenly was knocked off it's hinges with Zabee being thrown to the ground, she couldn't help but scream.

"Ugh," Zabbe groaned as he tried to stand. "If I could only use my Rider Sting."

"Heh," Nekonell purred. "Time to get rid of all obstacles."

She then lunged at Zabee again, aiming to kill him and Serena. She was stopped when a rose shot through the air and the petals got in her eyes.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Serena creid in joy.

The well dressed masked man stared at the Daimon, "To trample over pure hearts will only cause you to be destroyed by pure hearts!"

Nekonell growled as she extended her claws again. Tuxedo Mask planted himself between the Daimon and her targets before extending his cane and pinning her to a wall.

"Stabbing won't work!" Zabee spoke. "Her body is just one big jigsaw puzzle!"

"What?" Tuxedo Mask gasped.

Nekonell smirked as she broke the section of the cane that held her. She then leaped into the air and raked at Tuxedo Mask, shredding his cape and knocking his hat away.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Serena cried in panic.

"Gotta take this elsewhere," Zabee growled as he gripped his belt. "Clock Up!"

"CLOCK UP!" the zector ordered before he vanished.

Nekonell raised her claw to destroy the two humans before she reared back in pain like someone had punched her. Next she was doubled over like she was hit in the gut before she was somehow launched into the next room as if she was kicked. It all happened in at least a second and Tuxedo Mask could have sworn he could see an indent in Nekonell's body from something hitting her. He turned to his girlfriend so he could see her.

"Serena, you've gotta get out of here," he urged while standing.

"No!" Serena cried. 'I want to stay with you!"

"But-!" Tuxedo Mask argued.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Serena interrupted while she took his hands into her own. I couldn't stand it if you or the others got hurt while I just stood by."

"Serena..." Darien said quietly.

They both stared deeply into each others eyes and they could see the love that delled there that was exclusively for the one they were looking at. The worls around them seemed to fade away as their minds seemed to remember a time in the Silver Milllenium. Serena was dressed as Princess Serenity while Tuxedo Mask had become Prince Endymion. As they held each others hands, a pink light erupted between them in the form of a rod with a heart on the top. They both grasped it tightly,feeling the love of the other within it.

"The Moon Spiral Heart Rod!" they both gasped, recalling it from past memories.

Serena's brooch also became engulfed in light as it changed into a heart shape with a red cover.

"My crystal!" Serena gasped.

As this went on, Nekonell was still being hit at a rapid pace by what seemed to be an invisible opponent. Impact after impact rained on her as pieces of her fell to the ground. When it seemed to finally stop, she dropped to her knees gasping for air.

"CLOCK OVER!" a mechanized voice spoke just before Zabee could be seen at the top of the steps.

"What's new pussy cat?" he chuckled. "Miss me? I wasn't very far."

The Scouts couldn't understand what he had just done. They could tell that he as the one pounding on the Daimon, but they couldn't see him do it. Sailor Mercury knew that she would have to consult the computer after the battle. She had been recording the fight so that after they could determine any possible weaknesses in Daimons. Nekonell seemed to just grow angrier at the rider.

"Mrooooooowr!" she hissed at Zabee loudly.

The loud hiss snapped Serena and Tuxedo Mask out of thier funk. They both looked to the main hall and saw Nekonell recovering from her injuries from the mass beating she got. Tuxedo Mask let go of the rod.

"You'd better transform," he said seriously. "Zabee can't handle it forever."

"Right," Serena nodded as she grippped her new brooch. "MOON COSMIC POWER!"

Serena was engulfed in light as her transformation took place. When it was over Serena was finally transformed and in her full Sailor Moon outfit. She looked at herself and broke into the largest grin she ever had.

"I did it!" she laughed brightly. "Sailor Moon is back!"

Another hiss from Nekonell snapped her back to reality. She ran to the main hall with Tuxedo Mask close behind. What she saw was the Daimon attacking Zabee. She readied the rod as she aimed at the daimon.

"Zabee!" she shouted. "Move!"

Zabee took one look at her and the rod before he decided to get the hell out of her way. Nekonell, being curious, turned to see what made him run.

"_Moon Heart Spiral Attack_!" Sailor Moon called as she launched her new attack.

"LOVELY!" Nekonell cried as she was smashed by a large heart that erupted from the end of the rod. She stood limp for a moment before her body erupted in smoke. A cat puzzle fell the the ground and seemed to be inanimate once more. The daimon seed came out of the object before cracking open as a smoke creature rose out of it before vanishing.

"Yahoo!" Sailor moon cheered. "I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!"

"Yes, welcome back Sailor Moon," Mercury smiled as she and the others stepped closer.

"Well," Jupiter smiled turning to the newest rider. "We owe some thanks to Zabee too."

"Aw shucks," Zabee laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. "It was nothing. Honest."

The girls all giggled at his actions. Sailor Mars broke out of it as she stepped forward.

"I have to know," she began. "Are there any othe Riders besides you, Kabuto, Gatack, and Hakabuto?"

"Sure are," Zabee nodded. "Four others. I'm sure you'll meet them soon enough."

He then reached to his belt and with the words 'clock up," he vanished again. The scouts were amazed that he could do that, but were content to let him leave for now.

"Now," Sailor Moon spoke as she changed back to Serena. "Let's check on Megumi."

* * *

Professer Tomoe was displeased. Kaolinite could tell from where she was standing. Not only was the target not in posession of a talisman, but they lost another daimon. Even worse was that another rider had appeared.

"Another Rider," the Professer muttered. "This time it is Zabee. He didn't even destroy the daimon, but it was the Sailor Scouts this time. Too many obstacles exist."

Kaolinite frowned as she looked to the ground. She really didn't know what to say. She had failed her beloved yet again.

"Oh well," the Professer sighed. "Obstacles such as these only spur evolution. We will have to create a new Daimon capable of destroying all of them."

Kaolinite looked up with a widening smile. The Professor just started laughing as ideas came into his mind as to how to destroy the Scouts and the Riders in the most satisfactory way. How she loved the sound of genius and the man who which it came from.

To Be Continued...

A/N: there ya go! The outers really aren't scoring any points with the Riders, are they? One seems to take the words to heart while the other wants to kick Zabee's ass for insulting her. Now it seems when they next meet there could very well be a brawl. The Serena and the others were beat by the riders, will these other scouts be just as swiftly brought down?


	6. The Pretty Boy And The Hoppers

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I do not want to wake up someday and find that I'm getting sued for this. I'm not getting any kind of money for this and I'm only doing this for fun. I want to make sure that this is clear.  
-Ten-Faced Paladin 

Kamen Rider Kabuto

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 5: The Pretty Boy and the Hoppers

Serena was heading for the shrine for another round of studying for the high school exams. She really didn't want to, but she knew she had to. Not that it made the actual workload any easier in the end. Her mind kept drifting to other things that she'd much rather be doing at the moment. Being with Darien, eating, sleeping, playing at the arcade. The list went on. One thing that constantly stuck to her mind was the Kamen Riders. There were a grand total of four now and the newest one, Zabee, said that there were another four that were out there. On another thought concerning the Riders, Serena could still feel a slight stinging in her ears as a result from the information that Amy dropped on them at the last meeting.

-Flashback-

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" was the general shriek at the landmine Amy dropped.

The girls were all at Raye's shrine, discussing the battle from yesterday. Amy had called them all saying that she had went through the battle on her computer and saw something that they really had to see.

"That's right," Amy replied to the collected shriek while holding her ears to keep from going deaf. "It seems that possibly all the riders can go so fast, they vanish."

"Are you sure?" asked an amazed Lita.

"Yes," Amy nodded as she pulled out her Mercury computer.

She opened it and tapped a few buttons before placing it on the table. The other girls looked and saw a reply of their battle with the last daimon. They could see it get pummled at a very fast pace by some kind of invisible force. After about a half a minute of it, Zabee appeared at the top of the stairs to taunt the daimon.

"How does that prove your super speed theory Amy?" Raye asked skeptically.

"I almost missed it myself," Amy explained. "But when I slowed down the image, I got enough information to make this theory."

Amy tapped a few more buttons before setting the computer mack down again. Everyone looked to see the battle with the daimon going at a pace that made everything stand still.

"Boring," Serena whined. "It's so slow."

"Just wait for it Serena," Amy replied to the complaint.

The battle continued at it's phenominally slow pace. The daimon could be seen being knocked into the main hall. Amy had to keep fast forwarding the images until she got to where she needed to be. When the daimon hit the ground, Zabee could be seen running after her. The only thing was that he was moving as if the images were moving at normal speed.

"Woah!" Mina gasped, saying what was on everyone's minds.

Even Luna and Artemis were struck speechless at what they were seeing. They all watched in a kind of morbid interest as Zabee lay the smackdown on the daimon. Every punch hit it's target with considerable force. Zabee wasn't even breathing hard as he did it. Sure, he was jogging around the daimon as he got into position for another punch but he seemed to only put any kind of effort into his punches. After it seemed he was finished, he ran up the stairs and got into position before he seemed to go into slow motion himself.

Amy stopped the recording as she packed up the computer. The other girls were stunned at this.

"Amy," Raye began carefully. "How fast would one have to be to do what he did?"

"There's no way to measure," Amy replied, shaking her head. "Physics have theorised that if you go fast enough, everything else would stand still. There was just no way to prove it."

"Until now," Luna frowned. "These riders have managed to do it. It gives them a huge advantage over their opponents. Hopefully they remain our allies agaisnt whoever is creaing these daimons."

"Yeah," Serena shivered. "I don't want to fight someone who can beat me up before I can even blink."

The rest of the scouts nodded in silent agreement.

-End Flashback-

Serena sighed again as she remembered that meeting. It still left shivers in her spine when she saw what Zabee was capable of. Shaking off her fear, she surged on ahead for the temple.

"Gotta study," she told herself. "Everyone else is working hard. You have to work hard too."

Serena stopped in front of the Crown Arcade as she felt temptation pull at her.

"No way!" she said firmly. "I can't play today. I have to study. Remember, everyone else is working hard."

Serena looked through the glass doors and she instantly stopped. Not because her self-control went down the tubes like it usually does in these situations. No. It was for a far better reason. Inside the crown arcade as none other than Mina, flirting with Andrew at the front counter. Serena growled slightly before stalking inside to have a word with her friend. Andrew and Mina were talking about the time Artemis ate too much caramel and ended up with it stuck in his teeth.

"Mina!" Serena shouted loudly.

"Wha!" Mina cried in shock.

"Here I am alking to Raye's so I can study hard," Serena frowned. "I thought everyone was already there working hard and instead I find you here. I was even keeping myself away so I could study!"

"That's my fault Serena," Andrew smiled. "We were just talking and I guess we just lost track of time."

"Yeah, just chill out Serena," Mina smiled. "We're only young once after all. You don't want to look back on your youth and say 'I wish I had more time to goof around' do you?"

"Uh...," Serena tried to argue.

"Aniki!" a new voice shouted.

The three at the desk turned to see where the upset voice shouted. Over at the racing games, there were two guys in long black coats with a sleeve torn off, racing each other. The one with the reddish hair seemed to be winning while the one with slightly messy black hair was struggling to keep up.

"That's the way these games go aibou," the red haired guy smirked. "You have to pay attention."

"Did you have to make me crash?" asked the black-haired guy.

He only got a laugh in reply.

Over at the main desk, Serena, Mina, and Andrew were watching them curiously.

"Who are those guys?" asked Serena.

"Not sure," Andrew replied. "They just came in this morning and so far broke the high scores of five different machines. They name the high scores either K HOP or P HOP. I'm not sure which is which yet."

"Wow, they must be good," Serena admired.

"I think they're dreamy!" Mina sighed with hearts in her eyes. She then grabbed Serena's hand. "Lets go talk to them Serena!"

Mina yanked her friend over to the racing machines and smiled as she planted herself and her friend next to the red haired guy. They watched him as he crossed the finish line. His friend seemed to sigh in defeat as he slumped back. Mina just giggled, catching the two men's attention.

"Can we help you?" asked the red haired man.

"Hi!" Mina smiled with a small flush on her face. "My name's Mina and this is my friend Serena. Would you boys mind a little more competition?"

"By all means," the man smirked. "Call me Yaguruma."

"I'm Kageyama," the other man smirked. "Some fresh meat would be welcome."

Mina smiled brightly as she and Mina took seats at racing machines connected to the ones the two men were at. They put in their money and soon the game began. Yaguruma took an early lead with Mina at a close second. Kageyama was right behind them with Serena at dead last. Serena hit the gas pedal as far as it could go and she was soon tailgating Kageyama.

"You're not getting past me," Kageyama smirked.

"Oh yes I will!" Serena shouted.

Serena hit the gas again and managed to slip beside Kageyama's car. From there it turned into more of a demolition derby than a race. The two of them were slamming their cars into each other. They both came to a corner and weren't paying attention to the road and both of them crashed into a wall.The word 'lose' appeared on their screens.

"What?!" they both cried in dismay.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Mina laughed at her firend's reaction.

Yaguruma took advantage of this distraction and pt the pedal to the floor, leaving Mina in the dust. The girl in question cried out in outrage before hitting the gas to catch up. Yagruma smirked as he watched Mina lose her cool over the race. He took corners like a pro while Mina was taking them wider and wider. Soon, she took one too widely and crashed. She slumped in her seat as the word 'lose' appeared on her screen.

"We have a winner," Yaguruma smirked.

"How could this happen to Mina Aino?" Mina whined qietly. "Future ace of the pro ciriut?"

"Not bad," a new voice complimented.

The four racers turned to see a person walking towards them. This person had a male school uniform on and short blonde hair. Yaguruma and Kageyama immediately noticed that this person as a woman. She didn't have an adam's apple. Apparently Serena and Mina didn't notice this since they both broke into large blushes when they saw the cross-dressing woman.

"So many cute guys today," Mina whispered. "I'm in heaven,"

"Think I can race with you guys next?" the person asked.

"Absolutely!" Mina smiled brightly as she 'ushred' Serena out of her seat. "My name's Mina and these are Serena, Yaguruma, and Kageyama!"

"My name's Haruka Tenoh," the new arrival smiled as she took her seat. "I look forward to this."

Mina smiled with a cute blush. Yaguruma and Kageyama snickered at how she was attracted to Haruka. Yaguruma idly wondered how Mina would react when she found out that Haruka was a woman. The four put their money in and the race began. Again, Yaguruma took the lead with Mina close behind. Haruka was right beside her while Kageyama took the rear. This time, Yaguruma was taking the race seriously. He wasn't leaving any openings for his opponents. Haruka noticed this and smiled slightly.

"Looks like that handicap wasn't needed after all," she smiled.

"Huh?" gasped Mina as she gazed at Haruka.

Haruka then lay the pedal to the metal and left Mina in the dust. Yaguruma instantly reacted and lay on the RPM so he cold stay ahead of Haruka.

"You're a professional aren't you?" asked Yagruma with a smirk.

"How can you tell?" Haruka smiled.

"Your driving style," Yaguruma replied. "You're used to speeds like this."

Mina gaped at Haruka in amazement. It explained how 'he' could leave her in the dust like this. To her, it made Haruka all the more desirable, being in a cool line of work like that.

Haruka and Yaguruma continued their race. It was neck and neck all the way. Haruka was pulling out all the stops so she could win. Yaguruma took them in his stride. One didn't join an orginization like Zect without getting exstensive training in almost every practical field. The finish line was coming up and Haruka put on as much speed as she could. Yaguruma was pressing his pedal against the floor. They both wanted the victory badly. Of corse, they passed the finish line at the exact same moment. The word 'draw' appeared on both Yagruma and Haruka's screens.

"Wow," Haruka breathed. "No one's managed to get that close to beating me before."

"Hmm," Yaguruma pondered while Kageyama growled at being last again.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Haruka," a gentle voice spoke from the entrance.

Everyone turned to look at the new arrival. It was a girl with aquamarine hair that reached to her shoulders. She was wearing a girls uniform that matched Haruka's. She was smiling gently.

"Not to worry Michelle," Haruka smiled. "I was actually enjoying myself."

"With these ladies?" the girl apparently named Michelle smiled.

"Jealous?" Haruka teased.

"Maybe," Michelle replied.

Yaguruma sighed as he got out of the chair and head for the door. Kageyama followed suit. He stopped as he stopped next to Harka where she stood next to Michelle.

"I look forward to competing with you again," Yagruma said quietly to Harka so Mina and Serena couldn't hear. "Miss Tenoh."

Haruka's eyes widened slightly while Michelle giggled.

"An observant one," she smiled. Haruka was at slight loss for words as the two men left the arcade.

Haruka finally regained herself and smiled, "He's going to be a fun rival."

The two of them said their goodbyes and left the arcade. Serena and Mina watched them go while Andrew walked next to them.

"So beatiful," Mina sighed in regards to Haruka and Michelle.

"So cool," Serena sighed in regards to Kageyama and Yaguruma.

"So many new people," Andrew smiled. "This'll be good for business!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Within the confines of his underground lab, Professer Tomoe as again working on one of his daimons. He had been slightly vexed as of late with the riders and the scouts making their unscheduled appearances. What made it worse was that none of the heart crystals collected so far didn't have any talismans in them.

"Kaolinite," the Professer spoke.

"Yes?" Kaolinite asked as she stepped forward.

"The new daimon is ready," he spoke. "I expect it to give results. Should any scout or rider get in it's way, there were be no mercy."

"Excellent," Kaolinite smiled. "Nothing less than they deserve for meddling in our plans."

"Yes," the Professer grinned as the seed hovered to the celing before going into an open tube and launching to the surface.

"No mercy," the Professer laughed as Kaolinite vanished to follow the seed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yaguruma and Kageyama andered down the streets, looking for something to do. Since they were stranded in another dimension, their vendetta against Kabuto was temporarily on hold. They had to figure out how to get home. If not, then they could go on against Kabuto.

"Hey Aniki," Kageyama spoke up. "What do you make of this daimon stuff going around."

"You mean the monsters made from objects stealing pure hearts?" asked Yaguruma. "Probably true. Zabee and Kabuto both fought one on their own. I'm amazed that they can crystalize human hearts and remove them without instantly killing the victim. I look forward to facing one. We'll show those Sailor Scouts just how real Kamen Riders fight."

"Heh," Kageyama smirked. "What about those two that Zabee mentioned?"

"The pretenders?" smiled Yagururma. "If they want to mess with us then we'll indulge them. I personally think they're more like us. Determined to get the job done and won't let anything get in the way."

Before Kageyama could ask about anything else, the section of sidewalk that he was standing on suddenly lifted from the ground, knocking him on his butt. Yaguruma turned and saw a small seed rise from the hole in the ground before the section of sidewalk set itself back down. Yaguruma kept an eye on the seed as it set out into the sky.

"Follow me," Yaguruma frowned as he set outquickly after the seed. Kageyama scrambled to his feet and headed after his aniki.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haruka and Michelle were sitting outside the Kameda garage with Serena and Mina. The to younger girls had followed Haruka in hopes of finding out if Michelle was Haruka's lover. Mina was very much interested in finding out about this since she was convinced that Haruka was the man she was waiting all her life for.

"So why are you here anyway Haruka?" asked Serena.

"Well," Haruka replied. "Mr Kameda over there dream of fixing cars on the international racing circiut. I like coming here because we share the same passion."

"Except you like racing the cars rather than fixing them," Michelle smiled.

"True," Haruka nodded. "But our dreams still run side by side."

'Wow' Mina giggled inwardly. 'He's so handsome and passionate! I think I'm in love!'

While the for of them were talking, and Kameda was working on the engine, a small object hovered through the open window at the side. The seed hoved near the roof before slowly comind down to the car Kameda was working on and implanting itself in the steering wheel.

Arond the corner, Yaguruma and Kageyama waited. They no knew how the seeds kept getting into objects, but they still had to know how the hearts were stolen. As they waited, Serena noticed the shadows they cast around the corner of the building. She recognised the black jackets that were there.

"Yaguruma! Kageyama!" Serena smiled. "Is that you?"

Sighing,the two entered plain sight before walking over to the four girls.

"Well look who it is," Haruka smiled. "You a car freak too?"

"I'm more of a motorcycle man," Yaguruma replied

"Same with me," Kageyama replied cooly.

It didn't escape Michelle's notice that the to men's eyes were trained on the garage. They were watching it like a hawk. It was almost like they were expecting something to happen.

"Are you...waiting for something?" she asked hesitantly.

Yaguruma allowed himself to blink before he replied, "Let's say we followed something of interest to somewhere arond here. We're waiting to see if it's here."

Haruka and Michelle seemed to seriously consider his words. Serena and Mina just seemed confused.

Kameda wiped his forehead as he shut the hood of the car. Smiling in satisfaction, he went to the driver's side, and reached over to the steering wheel. As his hand touched the wheel, the entire care was engulfed in red light which filled the entire garage.

"What's going on?!" Serena cried.

Yaguruma and Kageyama already knew. They were witnessing the birth of a daimon. Haruka and Michelle seemed frozen in place as they were witnessing what was happening. Yagururma idly noticed that Michelle was holding Haruka's hand, keeping her from running to Kameda. The faint outline of the car could be seen shifting and changing into a humanoid form. As the light died, the daimon could be seen.

It had pink skin and was wearing a one pice which was moddled after a car. Tires were pointing from her shoulders and thighs. She also was wearing a helmet and a red scarf along with fingerless gloves.

"STEERINGOO!" the monster laughed.

Kameda stepped back in silent fear. Haruka grabbed Michelle and dcked out of sight. Serena and Mina watched, trying to figure out what to do. Yaguruma and Kageyama just decided to wait patiently and see what would happen.

Steeringoo giggled as she gripped some car jacks as she gazed at the trembling Kameda.

"Now, for your pure heart which is fuled by your dreams," she sneered. "JACK UP!"

She hurled the car jacks at Kameda with her strength. They hit the ground in a rectangular formation. They then stretched like rubber and snatched Kameda by his arms and legs, hoinsting him into the air. Smirking, Steeringoo lay down on her back and used her wheels to move underneath the terrified mechanic. As she lay under him, the glassover her chest rolled down like a indow to reveal a black star. Steeringoo let out a cry as black energy shot from the star and into Kameda's chest.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" Kameda cried out in pain as he was hit.

"Stop it!" Serena cried as she ran forward. Mina was close behind.

Unfortunately, Serena stepped in some spilled motor oil and it became a struggle to stand up for her. Mina then accidentally crashed into her and the two of them were sent sliding into a pile of empty gas canisters. They were both covered by the cans, cutting off their view.

Steeringoo finally stood up with Kameda's heart crystal safely in her hand. She smiled in satisfaction.

"Good," she smiled. "No to return this to mistress Kaolinite to see if it is a talisman."

"So," Yaguruma spoke as he finally stepped into the garage with Kageyama."You work for a woman named Kaolinite and you're looking for a talisman of some sort. Not bad for meeting our first daimon."

"So?" Steeringoo growled as she faced the two men. "What're you going to do about it?"

"Hmm," Yaguruma pondered. "Probably take you down, return the crystal, and then take down Kaolinite."

"It doesn't have to be in that order," Kageyama added.

"I doubt you humans even have the power to even take this crystal from me!" Steeringoo crowed.

"Oh?" Yaguruma asked in a sarcastic tone.

"STANDBY," to robotic voices spoke out.

A bouncing noise could be heard somewhere outside. It confused Steeringoo until she saw two robotic grasshoppers come inside the garage from the door on opposite sides. One was green while the other was silver. Both insects gave a giant leap before they were caught by the two men. The green one to Yaguruma and the gold one to Kageyama.

"Henshin!" both men called before attatching the grasshopper zectors to their belts.

"HENSHIN!" both zectors echoed.

Both men were engulfed in a hexegonal field which covered them. When it ended, both men were donned in identical armor save for the colors. They were in a rider form after the change was finished. There wasn't a masked form.

"CHANGE KICK HOPPER!"

"CHANGE PUNCH HOPPER!"

"Kamen Rider!" Steeringoo growled.

"Right," Kick Hopper nodded. "Let's go."

The two hoppers charged forward at the daimon. Kick Hopper leaped at her with flying kickes while Punch Hopper tried for more punishing punches. Steeringoo leaned and ducked to avoid the attacks. At best, the hoppers only managed to hit her tires, which absorbed the impact.

"She's good," Kick Hopper mentioned as he and his partner step back.

"We're better," Punch Hopper added.

"True," Kick Hopper agreed.

The two hoppers then split up to the sides of Steeringoo. She tried to keep them both in her line of sight as she prepared for an attack. Kick Hopper came first while running at Steeringoo. Punch Hopper was also running towards his target while readying an attack. Expecting Kick Hopper to aim high and Punch Hopper to go for her torso, Steeringoo leaned back. Kick Hopper then went into a sliding kick while Punch Hopper used a downward punch. Steeringoo was forced onto her back while Punch Hopper planted a powerful fist in her gut. So powerful in fact, the glass on her one piece cracked.

"Gahh!," she growled painfully. "You won't stop me!"

Her engines roared and suddenly Steeringoo was racing on her tires out the front door. The heart crystal as still in her hands.

"Let's go," Kick Hopper said quickly before giving chase. Punch Hopper wordlessly followed.

Behind them, the pile of gas cans shuddered slightly. Then the pile seemed to explode when Mina and Serena came bursting out.

"Wow!" Serena gasped. "Did you see that Mina? Two more riders!"

"Forget that Serena!" Mina cried. "We need to find that daimon and get the heart crystal back!"

"Oh! Right!" Serena nodded.

"MOON COSMIC POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

Outside, Steeringroo was driving fast to escape the to riders. She wanted to destroy the to and be done with it, but the matter wwith the talsimans was much more important. As she drove, she looked up and her face was met ith two very solid objects. A foot and a fist.

"Gyooooowwwww!" Steeringoo cried as she served out of control and the two riders leaped onto solid ground.

"Always keep your eyes on your surroundings," Kick Hopper smirked. "Be it on the road or in battle."

Steeringoo groaned as she stood up again, "Good thing I was wearing a helmet."

"A helmet won't save you from us!' Punch Hopper growled.

Kick Hopper ran forard and as he came closer, he leaped for a flying roundhouse. Punch Hopper was closer behind as he ducked low and while she was distracted. Whe he got close enough, Pnch Hopper released an uppercut not at the daimon's head, but her hands. He managed to knock the crystal up into the air.

"The crystal!" Steeringoo cried in panic.

"Youv'e got bigger concerns," Punch Hopper laughed as he reached to his zector. "Rider Jump!"

He touched the legs of his zector so that they were raised above the body of the zector as it echoed his words. "RIDER JUMP!"

With the energy surging to his legs, Punch Hopper leaped an impressive height straight up. Steeringoo was slightly distracted froom the crystal by seeing the gray rider so far above her. After reaching the apex of his jump, Punch Hopper reached to his zector and snapped the grasshopper legs back to position.

"Rider Punch!" he commanded.

"RIDER PUNCH!" the zector echoed.

As he was coming back down, energy surged into Punch Hopper's right arm. Sterringoo watched in awe and was too stunned to move. Using that, Punch Hopper slammed his fist into her face, sending her into the ground. The monster as silent as it's body twitched and she gasped for air. When the body stopped moving, it erupted into black smoke. When it cleared, the car that made up Steeringoo had retunred. Both hoppers watched in interest as the daimon seed fell out of the steering wheel and onto the seat. It cracked in half as a black smoke creature came out and blew away with the wind.

Kick Hopper looked straight up and easily caught the heart crystal. As he looked at it, he couldn't guess how anything, much less some kind of talisman was supposed to fit in the thing.

"So What do we do with it Aniki?" asked Punch Hopper.

"You'll give it to us, that's what you'll do!" said a female voice.

The two hoppers turned and faced what they assumed were two Sailor Scouts. One was dressed in a dark blue color while the other was in dark blue with a yellow bow. The first had shoulder legth hair while the other had short hair.

"And who might you be?" asked Kick Hopper.

"Guided by a new era, Sailor Uranus!" said the short haired scout. "Acts with elegence!"

"Also guided by a new era, Sailor Neptune!" said the other scout. "Acts with grace!"

"Charmed," Kick Hopper snickered underneath his helmet. "Why should we give you this crystal? It came from the man in the garage. What's more is that we killed the daimon for it. It's ours to do what we wish."

"We need to look at that crystal for the sake of our misson!" stated Sailor Neptune. "We need to see if it is a talisman."

"And why do you need these talismans?" asked Punch Hopper.

"We need them to save the world!" snapped Uranus. "You have your answer so hand it over!"

"Why don't I believe you?" sighed Kick Hopper. "How can we be sure you don't want the talismans to do what these daimon want to do?"

"What are you talking about?!" Uranus shouted impatiently.

"Well, didn't Zabee call you pretenders?" asked Punch Hopper. "What if you really are?"

Sailor Neptune seemed to look hurt as she recalled the words of the last rider. Uranus again seemed to get angry at them.

"Alright," she frowned. "If you won't give it to us, then we'll take it!"

"Hold it!" a new voice shouted, causing the other combatants to look up to see Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus standing at a bridge with a bicycle with them.

"A pure heart is not a piece of property that can be owned or taken by others!" Sailor Moon said sternly.

"Well said Sailor Moon," Kick Hopper nodded. "Here. Take this back to it's owner."

Kick Hopper then tossed the crystal into Sailor Moon's hands.

"We already took care of the daimon so don't worry about it," Kick Hopper contined before he turned to the two scouts in front of him. "There, they just proved it to me. They arrived late due to the speed of the daimon, but if it was still here then they would have fought it judging on the passion in her words. You two on the other hand, seem to only appear when a heart crystal is in easy reach. Either you two really are pretenders or you have perhaps forgotten what it means to be a Sailor Scout."

"You two had better get that crystal back to the garage," Punch Hopper remarked to Moon and Venus. "We'll wrap things up here."

"Uh...right," Sailor Moon nodded as she and Venus hesitantly set out on the bike back to the garage.

"No!" Sailor Uranus cried as she ran to chase them. She was only met with the face of Punch Hopper as he planted one of his two main weapons into her gut. "Gaah!"

She stepped back sluggishly as Naeptune ran to her side. Kick Hopper stepped to his partner's side as they faced the two scouts.

"We don't have a real reason to do battle," Kick Hopper said as he gazed at the to scouts.

"The heck we don't!" Uranus growled. "_Uranus World Shaking_!"

"_Neptune Deep Submerge_!" Neptune added.

"The two attacks raced at the two riders with full force. They both reached to their belts, sighing in resignation.

"Rider Jump!" they both called as they flipped the legs and the zectors echoed their words. "RIDER JUMP!"

The to hoppers leaped straight over the attacks, muc to the shock of the two scouts. Punch Hopper took aim at Uranus while Kick Hopper set his eye on Neptune. They both reached to their zectors to reset the legs.

"RIDER KICK!"

"RIDER PUNCH!"

Energy raced into Punch Hopper's arm again while Kick Hopper's right foot gained the charge. They both came down at the same time and attacked. Punch Hopper hit the centre of Uranus' bow while Kick Hopper got Neptune in the same place. The two scouts were sent flying into the ground with the energy racing through their bodies.

"Let that be a lesson to you," Kick Hopper snickered. "If you feel like sharing your 'mission' then you'll see us around."

"Until then," Punch Hopper waved.

The two hoppers then ran from the scene rather quickly. The two scouts were still weakened by the attacks and for their good fortune, their tranformations actually failed after the hoppers were gone. Uranus and Neptune changed back to Haruka and Michelle.

"Damn!" Haruka growled as she slammed her fist into the ground. "Just who the hell are these guys? They're all so different!"

"Haruka," Michelle gasped, regaining her breath, having it knocked out by Kick Hopper. "Are they right? Have we lost our way? Are we just pretending to be Sailor Scouts now?"

"No way!" Haruka frowned as she helped Michelle up. "We are doing the right thing. We have to complete our mission or else the world will end."

'That's just the thing,' Michelle thought silently. 'Have we become so wrapped up in our mission that we forgot exactly what it means to be a Sailor Scout?'

To Be Continued

A/N: There you go fans. This chapter was more geared toward interaction between the outers and the hoppers. Does anyone else think I made the hoppers a bit hypocritical here? I mean, they get so obsessed with destroying Kabuto, they forget why they're riders at all sometimes.


	7. Drake's Masterpiece, Sawsword's Grace

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their respective creators. Not me. I am not making any kind of profit from this work. -Ten-Faced Paladin 

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 6: Drake's Masterpiece, Sawsword's Grace

Yagami was rubbing the back of his neck as he was walking back to the building that Tendou had gotten them to live in. He was in the process of turning it into an actual living space. Kagami was accompanying Yagami back from the district school where he had to get a new uniform. Yagami seemed pretty down.

"Remind me why I have to go to school?" asked Yagami while heaving a sigh.

"Because the truancy officer caught you yestarday and we had to make up a lie," Kagami replied.

"Oh yeah," Yagami sighed. "That wasn't fun."

Kagami only nodded.

-Flashback-  
Yagami was heading down the streets with Tendou and Kagami, looking for the building that Tendou had found. It was all fine to Yagami. He was tired of staying in a hotel room. Tendou was holding the directions on a piece of paper in his hand while Kagami was walking with them with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey!" someone shouted. "You!"

The three riders turned around to see a man in a uniform running up to them. He seemed pretty upset for some reason. The man quickly came up to the three and seemed to glare at them. Mostly he just glared at Yagami though.

"Why isn't this kid in school?" he asked with a frown.

"Uh," Kagami uttered.

"You see..." Yagami tried to explain.

"Quite simple," Tendou interrupted. "My step-brother and I just moved here with our cousin. We were getting used to the area while trying to find the school for him to register into. We've been having a little trouble finding it though."

"Oh," the officer nodded. "I see. Well, you aren't too far from the school most kids go to. It's only a couple of blocks in the direction you were going. Just make sure that he gets registered today."

"Of course," Tendou nodded before taking Yagami and Kagami away from the officer.

Only one real question was on Yagami's mind at the moment. How did Tendou learn to lie like that?  
-End Flashback-

"This is going to be so much fun," Yagami groaned.

"Oh stop complaining," Kagami smiled. "How may people can say that they've gone to school in another world?"

"Not many," Yagami agreed. "but then, who would want to admit it?"

The two riders walked through the park to try and enjoy the day. Aside from that, neither of them wanted to get back to the building yet before Tendou finished his redecoration. He said he wanted to do it by himself and wanted no interruptions. Who were they to say no?

As they were walking, a girl with blonde hair in ponytails ran past them. She seemed close to tears for some reason. The two riders looked at each other for a moment before they continued on. They could have sworn that they had seen her somewhere before but decided not to dwell on in. They continued on their way as they passed a group of girls who were talking near a fountain. Again, they seemed pretty down. Yagami started to get the impression that they knew why the blonde girl was so sad.

"What is it with depressed people here?" asked Kagami.

"Don't look at me," Yagami shrugged. "I'm just as new here as you are."

Yagami then looked back to where he saw the blonde girl run. He took a moment to consider this next actions before he sighed deeply.

"Dammit," he sighed. "You go back with these. I'll catch up later."

Yagami tossed the bag of clothes into Kagami's arms as he went in the direction of the blonde girl. He followed her path and found her at an outdoor auditorium. She was standng by a short-haired blonde. On the stage was a girl with shoulder length aquamarine hair. She was playing a violin while bouncing what seemed to be a lemon off her instrument. Yagami walked down the main aisle and stopped just behind the blondes.

"Wow," he remarked. "Not many can pull a trick like that. Consider me impressed."

"Huh?" The younger blonde asked while she turned around. "Who are you?"

"Oh, excuse me," Yagami smiled. "I just heard the music and decided to see who was playing. My name's Kira Yagami. Sorry if I'm interrupting."

"Not at all," the older blonde shrugged. "But, I need a ride to clear my head. Later bun-head. New guy."

Yagami instantly noticed that this person as a girl. The voice was too soft to be male.

"Uh..."the girl sputtered. "Hey! They're not buns!"

"She's the second person to call me that," Yagami grimaced sourly.

The older blonde didn't seem to hear as she pulled on her helmet. She then got on a blue motorcyle and drove away wordlessly.

"Reminds me of someone I know," Yagami sighed as he shook his head.

The music coming from the violin suddenly stopped as the girl on stage caught the lemon in her hand. She smiled gently as she turned to face the two fifteen-year olds.

"Please exscuse her," she smiled. "She's been like this as long as I've known her. So, who's your new friend Serena?"

"Oh!" the girl apparently named Serena gasped. "Um..."

"Kira Yagami," Yagami smiled. "Actually, I met her just now so I don't know if we're friends just yet."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Kira," the girl smiled. "I am Michelle Kaioh."

"A pleasure." Yagami nodded.

Michelle nodded again as she turned to her violin case and placed her instrument inside. She then closed it before picking it up and stepping off the stage.

"Well now," she smiled as she faced Serena and Yagami. "I was going to go to the art museum. You are perfectly welcome to join me."

"Really!" Serena gasped in joy. "Oh I'd love to!"

"Oh I don't want to be a bother," Yagami frowned.

"It's no bother," Michelle smiled. "I would prefer the company anyway."

"Only if I carry something for you then," Yagami insisted. "It wouldn't be right for you and Serena to both carry something and me to stay empty-handed."

"You drive a hard bargin Kira," Michelle giggled. "But I accept."

She then took her violin case and handed it to him. Yagami gently took it and held it tightly. He didn't want to accidentally break the precious musical instrument. Satisfied that it wouldn't be pulling him down, the three youths set out for the gallery.

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Daisuke was holding a case of new tools that he had purchesed recently. It was indeed lucky for him that the currency between his world and this one were the same. Kamemaru was kind enough to re-establish his credentials that he held back home as well. He would have to repay him, somday.

Currently, Daisuke was sitting in a well polished chair in front of a man in a suit who was arranging a concert. It turns out that he didn't have enough make-up artists and he needed one fast. The concert was tonight.

The manager looked to the sheet that Daisuke had handed him and back to Daisuke.

"Okay Mr. Kazama," he sighed. "You do have the credentials. What I want to know is do you still have the skills to help us. This is a very big event and I want it to go perfectly. That means we need a number of our preformers to look perfect as well."

"I assure you sir," Daisuke smiled. "I am more than capable for the task. I am always willing and able to bring out the true beauty from within."

"I have no doubt of that," the manager nodded. "But I will require proof."

"Then why not I show you how I work?" asked Daisuke. "It would be like a working...um..what's the word?"

"Resume?" asked the manager.

"That's it!" Daisuke smiled. "A resume. A working resume."

The manager seemed to consider it. He had to admit, it would be a pretty good thing to see a prospective artist at work. Deciding that there wasn't any harm, the manager agreed to it. He called in one of the women who were being in the show and when she came into the room, he made introductions.

"This is Daisuke Kazama," the manager introduced. "He is hopefully going to become our newest make-up artist. Daisuke, this is Ms. Maya Akagi. She is going to be our pianist for one of our acts tonight."

"A pleasure Ms. Akagi," Daisuke smiled. Maya immediately found the man quite charming.

"Maya," the manager spoke. "I take it that you are in need of early preraration?"

"Yes," Maya nodded. "My formal gown takes forever to get on and if I'm too late then any make-up I may need is forgotten and I have to go out on stage as I am."

"Now that is a serious crime," Daisuke frowned. "Very well, would you like to begin now?"

"Huh?" Maya gasped. "You mean, right now?'

"Of course!" Daisuke smiled. "I cannot think of a better time than now!"

"Um, alright," Maya nodded as she took a seat. "I am in your hands Mr. Kazama"

"Please call me Daisuke," the make-up artist smiled. "We're all friends here after all."

Maya smiled as Daisuke got his supplies. He glanced at Maya's face for a moment to consider what he would need for this task. Maya was naturally attractive as it was so it was going to be an easy task. He knew that the 'ultimate make-up technique' was going to be needed. He did want to make a good impression.

Finally, Daisuke set to work. He took brushes and powders that he had grown familiar with over his life. It was like going on automatic for him. It was second instinct. His movements were precise and accurate. The manager was completely blown away at the level of skill he as seeing. As a manager for public events he had seen artists of varying fields and skill levels. Daisuke was very much the Michelangelo of his creaft. Possibly better. Maya was also feeling the gentle strokes of his brush. They were just right. Too hard would smudge the work and too light would tickle her and make her giggle, causing lines in the work. Daisuke knew exactly what he was doing.

"There," Daisuke smiled as he dre back. "I'm done."

"Already?" Maya gasped. "But it's like you just started!"

"Trust me," the manager said slowly, his mouth in a wide gape. "I don't think there's much more that can be humanely done."

Daisuke produced a handheld mirrorand held it out to Maya. She took it and looked into her reflection. She then gasped in complete surprise. She was in shock at what she was seeing. She was absolutely gorgeous! It was better than anything else she had done before!

"A-amazing!" she gasped. "I can't believe it."

"Well then," Daisuke smiled. "Do I get the job?"

"Shall we discuss terms Mr. Kazama?" asked the manager.

Daiuske smiled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the Juuban art museum, Michelle, Serena, and Yagami were admiring the works while walking through.

"So, Serena," Michelle began.

"Yes!" Serena quickly replied before hearing the question. She blushed slightly before bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oops."

The little outburst just caused some small laughter from all three people. When she calmed down, Serena decided to ask her own question.

"So, Michelle," Serena began. "Do you want to be a violinist in the future?"

"I'm not sure," Michelle sighed with a frown in thought. "I'm not sure why I as born. I'm just lost on my path right now. Even more so than ever."

Michelle seemed to frown even deeper at the thought. Like she was remembering something that happened quite recently.

Serena nodded before turning to Yagami, "Kira, what do you want to do?"

"Me?" asked Yagami. "I haven't really thought about it. So long as I break the chains called destiny and really forge my own path then I'll be happy with that."

"Wow, that's deep," Serena murmured. "I can't help but feel a little lost myself these days."

"Excuse me," a man who walked up to them spoke. "Are you Michelle Kaioh? The one who painted that picture?"

"Yes?" Michelle nodded. "Can I help you?"

"Oh!" the man gasped. "I'm a huge fan of your work! I look forward to the exhebition next week!"

While Michelle and the man talked, Yagami let out a low whistle of admiration.

'Talk about talent,' he thought. 'She has so much she doesn't know what to do with it. Serena doesn't seem to be happy about it.'

He was right too. Serena seemed a little depressed again. She wasn't obviously upset with Michelle. She was just apparently upset about her situation as compared to Michelle's.

Later...

Michelle, Serena, and Yagami were waiting oustside. Apparently Michelle's friend Haruka was going to hook up with them there. Yagami had put the violin case down while he balanced on the curb. They weren't waiting long before someone on a blue motorcycle pulled up to the curb a couple feet ahead of Yagami. Judging by the uniform, it was Haruka beyond a doubt.

"Ahhh," Haruka sighed happily. "I feel better. I wanted to try finding their HQ but they're better hidden than I thought."

"Shh!" Michelle hissed quietly.

They were talking in hushed tones, but Yagami managed to catch what Haruka was saying. He as just pretending that he didn't hear.

'HQ?' he asked himself. 'Whose HQ would they be looking for? Why is it so important?'

Any further speculation as halted by a horrible screeching noise. Haruka, Michelle, and Yagami turned to see just what had made that sound. They got their answer when they saw none other than Serena trying to play Michelle's violin.

"I shouldn't have put that thing down," Yagami groaned while his ears screeched in terror.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The four new friends had relocated their get-together to an ice cream shop. Serena was feeling pretty low about being so awful at the violin. So depressed in fact that she plowed through six sundaes. While she was stuffing her face, she explained that she wanted to get a bit more cultured so she could be a real girlfriend to her boyfriend who was a bit more mature that her.

"So that's why you wanted to play it," Michelle smiled.

"But, even if Darien was there to hear it, he wouldn't want to hang around after my performance," Serena trembled, near tears.

"Now come on," Haruka smiled. "You looked wonderful when you were trying."

"Yeah Serena," Yagami agreed. "Everyone has to start somewhere. I doubt even Michelle was as good as she was when she started."

"You'd be right about that," Michelle smiled. "I was awful when I started out."

"Really?" Serena gasped, finding hope.

"Of course," Michelle replied. "You can't expect to be perfect at something you just started out at."

"Yeah," Serena smiled. "You're right."

Suddenly, Michelle smiled brightly as she reached into her bag, "If you're still interested in music, There's a recital tonight. Why don't you bring that boyfrind of yours. You can come too Yagami."

Michelle revealed her hand and three tickets to said show could be seen. Serena happily snatched up two of them while Yagami took the third. Serena was on cloud nine about this while Yagami seemed unsure.

"What's wrong Yagami?" asked Haruka.

"Well," Yagami shrugged. "I just moved here and I personally think that this a sort of date thing or a group of friends. I...really don't have either here."

A sly look suddenly came over Serena's face, "Sooooooooo, looking for a date? I can help with that."

"Uhh, that's okay! Really!" Yagami protested, turning slightly red. "You don't have to do it! Honest!"

"Oh it's no trouble!" Serena giggled. "I would be happy to!"

Serena then sat up quickly and began making for the exit. Yagami tried to stop her but all he could do was sputter after her. Haruka and Michelle were laughing merrily at his expense.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Within the underground lab, the Professer had just completed his newest creation.

"Yes," he smiled demonically. "Perfect!"

"It sounds as if the next daimon is complete," Kaolinite smiled as she stepped into the dim light.

"Hmm," the Professer nodded. "Try to have this one come back with the heart crystal would you?"

"I already have a target picked out," Kaolinite replied.

"Punctual as always," the Professer smirked. "Go my daimon! Collect the pure heart!"

The daimon egg hovered into the air and launched intself into an open pipe. It flew through the pipes and straight out the open sewer pipe. Where from there, it launched into the sky and towards the target.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The girls were all seated at the shrine. They wanted to do something to apologize to Serena. A few suggestions were thrown out into the open but nothing that would seem to work. It got to a point where the girls thought they wouldn't be able to apologize for what they said.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Mina sadly.

"I don't know," Amy sighed while shaking her head. "We did hurt her feelings pretty badly."

"She's probably still down as we speak," Lita continued sadly.

"Hey everbody!" a cheery voice called.

Everyone turned to the gate and saw a very cheery Serena waving to them. All the girls were rather confused at what was going on. Serena didn't seem upset at all anymore. In fact, she was downright cheerful again.

"Serena!" the all cried as they ran up to her.

"We're so sorry!" Raye frowned.

"Yes!" Amy nodded. "Please forgive us."

"Yeah!" Mina and Lita added.

"Oh I forgave you for that a while ago," Serena smiled. "Actually, tonight I was kind of hoping that some of you would be free."

"You were?" asked Amy.

"Yeah," Serena nodded as she raised her hand with the tickets. "There was this new guy I was hanging out with along with Haruka and Michelle. He's new and got a ticket just like I did."

"Haruka and Michelle gave those to you?!" Mina shrieked. "Of all the luck! Amy suggested that we get tickets for you and Darien!"

"So what's this about a new guy in town?" asked Raye.

"Weeeeeelll," Serena grinned impishly. "He is new to town and he feels that the concert is something that you should either go to as a date or with a group of friends. I said I'd help him get a date since he doesn't know anyone here!"

Stunned silence reigned for a moment. Then it went into a bombardment of statements and accusations.

"Is he cute?" asked Mina.

"Are you sure he's single?" asked Raye suspiciously.

"I have no time for a date Serena," Amy frowned sadly.  
"What's his name?" asked Lita.

"Okay!" Serena called over it all. "His name is Kira Yagami and he is pretty cute in my opinion. He's very nice too. I'm very sure that he's single. Any takers?"

So far, Mina and Lita were the only ones to seriously consider the offer. Raye seemed skeptical. The promise of a cute boy was pretty hard to pass up in their opinion. If Serena wasn't pulling a prank on them then the night might be a pretty good one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sunset was beautiful as the auditorium came into view. Yagami was waiting outside, waiting for Serena. She said she was going to get him a date. He doubted it but it wouldn't be polite to just leave this supposed date outside. He hadn't spent as much money as he did on a suit just for a single night of music. Having a female companion would be nice. As he scanned the crowd, he noticed someone in a white suit that he recognised.

"Tsurugi?" gaped Yagami. "Is that you?"

The scorpion rider turned and his gaze narrowed as it fell on Yagami.

"Oh, it's you New Guy," he sighed. "At least you seem to have some nice tastes."

"Gee thanks," Yagami sweatdropped. "I suppose you're here for the recital too?"

"Of course!" Tsurugi snapped while adjusting his jacket. "I may be a rider but I do retain my elegant tastes."

Yagami nodded, already losing interest in the conversation looked out to the crowd again. Everyone seemed to be milling for the time deing. The doors hadn't opened yet so everyone was arriving early so they could get good seats. As he waited, Yagami heard someone speaking over the crowd.

"Wow! You're in a tuxedo without a mask! So refined!" said a familiar voice.

Yagami turned to see Serena in a strapless pink dress attatched to the arm of a taller boy with black hair who was donned in a white tuxedo.

"Serena!" he called as he began walking towards her.

"Oh!" Serena gasped as she saw him. She then brightened considerably. "Kira!"

Serena dragged the guy she was with straight over to him. Serena was giggling in delight as she imagined the evening ahead of them.

"I'm so glad you came," Serena smiled.

"I had nothing better to do," Yagami shrugged. "Besides,I really couldn't be sure if you were serious about the whole date thing."

"Oh she was serious," the boy smiled. "She always is when it comes to this sort of thing."

"You must be Darien," Yagami smiled. "I'm Kira Yagami."

"So I've heard." Darien nodded.

"Hey, everyone!" Serena called. "Over here!"

A group of girls came walking through the crowd over to Serena, Darien and Yagami. They looked like an interesting group of character.

The first had long black hair that rached down her back. She was wearing a regular red dress that was rather flattering. She was also wearing a pair of white gloves.

The second girl was wearing an elegent pink dress. She had a sash tied around her waist that matched the dress. She was a bit taller than the others and had brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was about the same height as Yagami

The third girl was blonde like Serena but she let it run down her back freely. It was only styled with a red bow. She was wearing a European purple dress that had the straps on her shoulders. She also had a brown belt around her waist.

The last girl seemed the quietest. She had short blue hair that only reached to her ears. She was wearing simple green dress with a woolen yellow jacket over her shoulders.

"Kira," Serena smiled. "These are my friends Raye, Lita, Mina and Amy. Everyone, this is Kira Yagami."

Yagami almost flinched at hearing Raye's name. He recognised her from when he was Hakabuto, rescuing her from that daimon when they first got to this world. Deciding it not to be best to be daydreaming about the past, Yagami turned his attention to the girls.

"It's a pleasure ladies," Yagami smiled.

"Oooh, he is cute!" Mina giggled.

"It's a shame I didn't go for it after all." Raye sighed in dasappointment.

"I hope you enjoy tonight," Amy smiled gently.

Lita just seemed to start blushing for some reason. She seemed too shy to speak.

"Lita," Serena giggled mischeviously, causing Lita to blush a bit deeper. "This is your date!"

Lita looked to the ground with the blush on her face. Yagami nervously rubbed the back of his neck as the situation finally hit him.

"Well, uh, I hope we enjoy tonight Lita." he smiled nervously.

"Y-yes. I do too," Lita smiled nervously.

The auditorium suddenly became much more crazy as the doors opened. Yagami nervously looked to the doors and back to Lita. He offered her his arm and she gently took it, a bit tightly due her nervousness. As they were walking in, Lita started getting a smile on her face.

'I know it's only one date,' she said to herself. 'But it's kind of nice to be able to do this.'

"Uh Lita?" asked Yagami.

"Hmm, yes?" Lita asked, enjoying the intimacy.

"I'm kind of in uncharted territotry at this point so I really hope I can make this enjoyable for you." he explained.

"Oh don't worry," Lita smiled. "Let's just enjoy the company and the music."

Yagami blushed at the cute smile but he did manage to nod a reply.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Inside the dressing room, one of the violinists was preparing themselves. As he did so, he didn't notice a small seed floating into the room. It drifted over to the violin which was still in it's case and absorbed itself into the polished wood. The violinist turned around at the noise that he heard when the seed did it's thing, but he didn't see a thing. He shrugged it off and continued preparing itself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in where the patrons were sitting, Haruka and Michelle could be seen up on a balcony. Haruka was in a white suit and Michelle was in a yellow dress. They both had binoculars to their eyes, scanning the crowd. It was Haruka who found them first.

"There they are," she smiled. "Looks like bun-head has a handsome one. New Guy landed a pretty cute girl too."

"That they have," Michelle smiled. "Ahh, to be young."

"You sound like an old woman," Haruka smiled.

"Do I?" asked Michelle.

Haruka's only reply was an amused nod.

On the floor, the girls, Darien, and Yagami were waiting for the concert to begin. As the lights died down, and the clapping began as the violinist could be seen. Tsurgui could be found near the front row where he could properly appreciate the music. Offstage, Daisuke was seeing how Maya was playing. He knew by experience that women who were beautiful had a lot of confidence and those with confidence could do amazing things.

The violinist took a deep breath before beginning his song. It truly was a beautiful piece that anyone would get emotional over. Serena on the other hand was too busy gazing at Darien with hearts in her eyes. Raye took it on herself to smack her upside the head to get her to pay attention to the performance.

Yagami shook his head as the minor argument broke out in whispers. He then leaned back as he felt Lita rest her head on his shoulder. This was perhaps a little fast for him but he wasn't really in the mood to complain about it. He was feeling a little comforted by the the warmth she was giving off.

As the violinist played, his instument started going out of tune. The strings he played were sounding high pitched and screeching. Everyone in the room thought that their ears were going to fall off. The violinist couldn't understand what was happening but he stopped playing only to have his instument leap out of his hand and into the air. It erupted into bright light before shanging into a humanoid in a one piece outfit styled after a violin. It was giggling in a high pitched opera tune. It also held an violin string which could help make sounds.

"OCTAVE!" it laughed loudly.

Everyone looked at the monster in shock. Octave just laughed as she started playing those horrible notes on her body. With another high pitched shriek. Octave started sending soundwaves all over the auditorium, putting people to sleep.

While the girls got up to try and get away, Yagami found himself getting sleepy. He tried to get up but his legs were proving uncoopreative. He thought he was going to black out when a buzzing noise started echoing in his ear. That was when his senses started returning. He turned his head and saw the Hakabuto zector buzzing near his ear. The buzzing noises it was making was disrupting Octave's sounds. Needless to say, the Sawsword and Drake zectors were doing the same for their masters. The buzzing and clicking from the scorpion and dragonfly were keeping their masters going.

When Octave stopped shrieking, Yagami stood up and glared at the daimon ahead of him. He had noticed Tsurugi standing up while drawing his sword from wherever he was hiding it on his body. He also noticed Daisuke standing on the stage with his grip at the ready. The girls and Darien were nowhere to be seen. Yagami and Tsurugi instantly grabbed their zectors while the dragonfly began lowering to the grip.

"Henshin!" they called as their zectors were attatched to their recievers.

"HENSHIN!" the zectors called as they activated.

Yagami was quickly donned in his Hakabuto armor while Tsurgi and Daisuke were covered with their Sawsword and Drake armor. Octave didn't seem to notice as she opened the tummy of her outfit to reveal a black star that fired a beam of energy at the violinist who was asleep on the ground. He didn't make a noise as his heart crystal was drawn out. When it was safely in her hand, Octave learned of her three opponents.

"OCTAVE!" the daimon shriked while playing some chords on her body while launching destructive soundwaves at Drake.

Drake was quick to move out of the way as a hole was blown into the floor. He seemed to stare at the hole before turning back to the daimon. With the power of this daimon in mind, he then started taking aim

"Wait!" Hakabuto shouted as he dashed forward. "There's too many people in here! We have to take this outside!"

Sawsword looked at Hakabuto and the gold rider could feel the glare coming at him, "Fine! Drake! Come on!"

"Right!" Drake nodded before he stood up and followed the two riders out the main doors.

Octave laughed in her annoying high tone voice. Securing the crystal in her hand, she flew after them. She was laughing the whole way and destroying everything glass as she went.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Outside, the Sailor Scouts were preparing to fight the daimon. They heard some crashes inside the building which got them worried about the people inside. They heard something coming closer with every passing second. They were expecting the daimon, but they didn't get that quite yet.

"Go, go, go!" a voice shouted.

Through the doors came three figures that one of which the scouts recognised.

"Hakabuto!" they gasped in surprise. The rider in question turned around and seemed somewhat surprised to see them.

"Hey!" he waved. "Uh, you do know that we didn't cause this. Right?"

"Oh yeah, we know," Sailor Moon nodded.

"In case you haven't noticed," the purple rider growled. "We have a monster to fight!"

The other two riders nodded. Drake reached to the end of his gun while Hakabuto went for his wristband. Sawsword reached for a point on his sword. Drake pulled a small handle at the end of his gun. Hakabuto had pulled the horn of his beetle back. Sawsword pressed the scorpion tail on his sword against the main body. Energy ripped through their bodies as the armor loosened. Noticably just when Octave came out of the building.

"Cast Off!" all three riders called as they saw her.

"CAST OFF!" the zectors called.

Octave was caught by complete surprise as the armor on the three riders exploded off their bodies. She was thrown back by the force of the attack and she hit the ground hard. The Sailor Scouts had taken cover when they saw the armor coming loose.

Sawsword's rider form was very different from his masked form. His arms had silver armor covering them. His torso had mostly silver except for the purple scorpion adorned over the right side. His shoulder pads were styled after a scorpion's claws. The helmet had two large green eyes with a scorpion tail sticking out of his head.

Drake's rider form was also significantly different from his rider form. He also had silver armor running up his arms His chest was styed after the wings of a dragonfly while the left shoulder while styled after it's head. Drake's head had to large blue eyes that had a silver streak of metal running down between the eyes and acting as a mouth guard.

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

"CHANGE SCORPION!"

"CHANGE DRAGONFLY!"

Sailor Mars recognised the insects as the rider armor announced the names. These were the last two warriors from her dream. All the warriors were accounted for. What was going to happen next was anyones guess.

"OCTAVE!" the daimon shrieked while getting up again.

She then started playing her strings again before sending more off her sound waves at the scouts and riders. It quickly stunned all of them to a point where they couldn't move.

"Gahh!" Sawsword cried.

"Wh-what is this?" gasped Mars.

Octave laughed as she watched her opponents fall after she stopped her music. All her opponents groaned in pain as they tried to get up. Octave saw them recovering and started playing the strings again. She cried out in her 'musical tone' as her cries became concentrated enough to cut through the ground. The beam charged at all of them with the intent to destroy them. It almost hit Sailor Moon when something came flying out of the air, knocking the rod out of Octave's hand and cutting it at the same time.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Octave cried in pain.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon cried happily.

Everyone looked to the top of a streetlight to see the familiar form of Tuxedo Mask.

"Music is meant to harmonius to the ears," he said sternly. "Any kind of sound that is harmful to the ears must be stopped!"

"OCTAVE!" the daimon cried as it picked up it's means of attack and fired at Tuxedo Mask.

"Now!" Jupiter called. "Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"

The disk of electricity fired at the daimon. Octave instantly saw the attack coming and leaoed out of the way. The disk collided against the building, destroying the section of wall.

"Be careful!" Mercury gasped. "There are still people inside!"

"Fine!" Sawsord chuckled. "My way works better!"

He gripped his sword and ran at the daimon with all his fury. When he was close enough, he began to slash at Octave furiously. Octave used her main weapon as a sword to retaliate with. Not wanting to just stand back, Hakabuto ran forward to help fight. He launched a powerful roundhouse which the daimon just dodged. Octave leaped away from her two attackers, only to find that she had accidentally gave up her only ace. Since she wasn't in front of the auditorium anymore, her opponents didn't have to worry about hitting the innocent.

"Oops," she quivered.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash"  
"Mars Fireball Ignite!"

Octave was met with two attacks as she as hurled against a tree. The heart crystal she was holding went high as everyone scrambled to catch it.

"I got it!" called Sailor Moon.

"It's coming my way!" said Hakabuto

"I'm ready for it!" called Venus.

"I got it! I got it!" Drake called.

And he did too. It fell perfectly into his free hand. He stared at it wordlessly, appreciating the beauty of the object. When he turned to see if he could return it, he found himself between both Uranus and Neptune.

"Okay pal," Uranus said firmly. "We need to see that heart crystal."

"Please," Neptune addded, trying to seem friendly. "We only need to check it to see if it has a talisman in it."

Drake seemed to respond more to Neptune than to Uranus. He held out his hand which the heart crytal resting in. Neptune gently took the item into her hands. She smiled in gratitude to Drake who merely nodded.

"You had but to ask," he spoke charmingly.

Neptune nodded as she held the crystal in her hands for a moment. After said moment she sighed in disappointment before turning towards the auditorium.

"It isn't a talisman," she replied while turning her head to Drake and Uranus. "I will return the crystal. The heart of an artist such as this is very fragile."

"Very well," Drake nodded. "Then we will deal with this monster."

As Neptune nodded again with a smile, she left for the stage where the owner of the heart crystal was waiting for its return. Uranus had vanished along with her. Drake turned his attention to the wounded Daimon. It was still struggling to stand up and the strings on Octave's body were looking like they were about to break.

"This ends now," Drake said sternly.

Drake brought his gun to himself and gripped the wings.He pushed the wighs together to form a scope before pulling the scope to the main body of the gun so he could see through it. When the wings were firmly attatched to the gun, electricity began to race from Drake into the gun.

"Rider Shooting," Drake calmy spoke

"RIDER SHOOTING!" the zector echoed as the daimon was locked for a target.

Everyone watched as a ball of energy formed at the end of the weapon. Drake let it collect for a moment before he pulled the trigger and fired. Octave tried to scream out one last note before she was hit but it just wouldn't come. She was engulfed in the blue energy before it exploded, taking a chunk of the tree with it. All that was left was blackened ground and a violin in pristine condition. The instument sat there for a moment before a small seed came out of the instument. It broke open, releasing a smoke creature that vanished into the wind.

"Whew," Hakabuto sighed. "Glad that's over."

"Whatever," Sawsowrd sighed. "I'm leaving."

Sawsword then clocked up and vanished from sighed. Hakabuto shook his head while Drake walked over to the girls.

"I apologise for Sawsword," Drake sighed. "He doesn't know the meaning if the word manners. I Drake on the other hand know how to respect a woman."

The scouts blushed while Tuxedo Mask seemed to become restless at the exchange. Drake then nodded a goodbye before he clocked up and vanished.

"Well, you all know me already so I'll just be going," Hakabuto laughed. "I'll see you later."

He then clocked up and vanished as well. This left the scouts and Tuxedo Mask alone in the area.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later, everyone was walking home from their trip. Serena was really bummed out that it didn't go the way she wanted. Most of the others were trying to cheer her up. Lita on the other hand was still hanging onto Yagami's arm.

"Sorry our date turned out like this," Yagami apologised to Lita.

"Don't feel bad," Lita smiled. "It wasn't your fault."

"I guess," Yagami shrugged. "If you ever...you know, want to try going out again, I wouldn't say no at this point."

Lita immediately went red, but a surprised smile was on her face, "Really?"

"Sure," Yagami nodded. "I mean, tonight may not have been my fault, but I do enjoy your company.

Lita smiled brightly before she leaned on Yagami's side a little more. Usually any date she had was interrupted by a monster and then the guy she was with would get hurt. This time, Yagami still wanted to get to know her. It was almost like a dream.

"I'd love to," she smiled.

Any further mushy stuff was interrupted by the other girls. They began swarming Darien when he said he'd treat Serena to dinner. Lita just smiled as she contented herself to sit in Yagami's warmth.

To Be Continued...

A/N: A new chapter is done. Sawsword and Drake have arrived. Sparks fly between Yagami and Lita. Now What will happen next you ask? You'll see. I just hope you keep enjoying the story. Pretty long chapter isn't it?


	8. Battle for the Pure Heart! Riders Unite!

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. No matter how much I wish I did, I do not own them nor will I ever own them. A guy can dream I suppose. Anyhow, with this disclaimer said then we can just move on to the story itself. Have fun!  
-Ten-Faced Paladin 

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 7:Battle for the Pure Heart! Riders Unite!

Kagami sighed as he came downstairs from his room. Tendou was already finished making lunch and Kagami was enjoying it. Tendou looked up from his newspaper and eyed the youngest rider for a moment.

"So, taking your studies seriously I see," he commented idly.

"Why does everyone have to pick on the new guy?" Yagami whined as he sat down at the table and prepared to eat. "Itadakimasu,"

"Oh come on," Kagami snickered. "Teachers just don't pick on their students,"

Yagami sent a glare at the blue rider, "The teachers insist on testing my abilities since I had to move so close to high school exams. I was lucky Amy was nice enough to help me or I'd be swamped."

"Amy?" asked Tendou in almost bored curiosity. "Is she this girl that you were set up with?"

"No," Yagami replied sternly with a reddening face. "That was Lita, remember? Amy is one of her friends. I was lucky she was so willing to help me orginize myself a little. She probably has enough to do as it is."

"Oh yeah," Kagami nodded. " I remember you talking about her. Didn't you say that she was like a genius or something?"

"Something like that," Yagami replied. "She even offered to let me study with her friends today."

"Oh really?" Kagami with a smirk. "Since we're on the subject, just how are things going with Lita anyway?"

Yagami shot a glare at the snickering rider, "Well enough I suppose. We've only been on one date and that was interrupted by one of those daimon things."

"Such is life," Tendou remarked without looking up from his paper.

"Don't you and her go to the same school?" asked Kagami.

Yagami nodded. His mind going back to when he started at the junior high school. Specifically, at lunch is when things got interesting.

-Flashback-

Yagami was somewhat bored as he sat on the roof, eating the lunch that Tendou had made. Yagami had to admit that even if the guy was impossiblay arrogant, he could back it up in his cooking skills at the very least. His mind was also drifting to recent events between the Sailor Scouts and the Kamen Riders. The younger scouts seemed more than willing to trust them for the most part. They worked together rather well in his opinion too. What was bugging him was the things he was hearing about Uranus and Neptune. Those two were going to be a problem. They were dead-set on completing whatever 'mission' they had comitted themselves to and they didn't seem to be taking interruptions well. Kagami couldn't help but snicker when Kanemaru and Yaguruma explained how pissed off Uranus was at their observations.

Leaning back against the wall, he idly wondered just what Uranus and Neptune's mission was. It had something to do with the heart crystals and some kind of talismans that were further connected to them. Whatever these talismans were, they were probably pretty powerful and it was a scramble to get to them first.

"Kirrrrraaaaaaa!" a cheery voice called, snapping Yagami out of his thoughts.

He looked over to the door and saw Serena running towards him. She had a bright smile on her face.

"Hi Serena," Yagami nodded as he stood up. "Is there something you need?"

"Yeah!" Seren replied with a playful frown. "Why are you up here? Lita's down in the front yard!"

"Huh?" asked Yagami, thouroghly confused.

"You're her boyfriend aren't you?" Serena asked sternly. "You should be with her right now, showering her with affection as she would for you!"

"Whaaat?!" Yagami cried, his face turning crimson. "S-Serena, we've only been on one date. Not to mention that it was interrupted by a monster."

"But you said you would like to go on another date wouldn't you?" Serena asked, getting into his face. "That means you want to start a real relationship doesn't it?"

"Uh...uh...maybe?" Yagami sputtered hopelessly. Suddenly, fighting a daimon was looking pretty good right now.

"Well then?" Serena asked. "To see if you and Lita are meant to be you have to spend as much time as possible together! That way your hearts can slowly unite into a force of love!"

"Uh...o..kay," Yagami muttered, still somewhat confused.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Serena giggled while taking his hand. "Let's go!"

Serena then yanked Yagami through the halls at a speed that made him wonder if they weren't going at Clock Up speed. Serena seemed to know exactly where she was going as she went, narrowly avoiding running into several teachers and students. She then managed to pulll him outside and towards a tree where Yagami could see Amy and Lita sitting down and talking.

"Oh Liiitaaa!" Serena called cheerfully. "Look who I found!"

Ami and Lita both looked up to see who Serena was talking about. When they saw Yagami, they both had very different reactions. Amy smiled gently and waved, happy too see her new friend. Lita on the other hand seemed to grow quiet as her cheeks turned a healthy pink.

"Ah..h,hello Kira," she all but whispered.

"Uh..hi Lita," Yagami muttured shyly.

The two fell quiet as they both looked at the ground. Lita was playing with her fingers while Yagami was shuffling his sheet. Neither of them really knew what to say next. Serena looked between the two for a minute before she sighed loudly.

"Oh come on you two!" she huffed. "Is that the best you can do? Kira,why don't you sit next to her?"

"Huh?" was all the flustered boy could get out.

Serena grabbed Kira by the shoulders and moved him closer to Lita. She then forced him to sit down next to Lita before she and Ami also took their seats and began coversations. Lita was just blushing again while Yagami, not knowing what else to do, decided to just keep eating his lunch. Lita dared to glance at Yagami and she noticed the food that he was eating. Her embarrassment was all but forgotten when she saw the beautiful presentation of the food he had. It looked like it was gourmet!

"Oh wow!" she gasped, voicing her thoughts. "That looks delicious! Did you make it?"

"Hmm?" Yagami wondered as he stuck some in his mouth. "The food? Oh no. My...stepbrother Tendou did."

"Can I have a taste?" Lita asked curiously. Her eye for cooking taking over her thoughts for a moment.

"Go right ahead," Yagami replied. "I don't mind."

Lita immediately grabbed the untensil for her own lunch and scooped some of the meal that Yagami carried for herself. She popped the food into her mouth and she froze. A strange look came over her face.

"Lita?" asked Amy curiously. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah Lita," Serena nodded. "Was it that bad?"

Lita slowly removed the utensil from her moth before swallowing her bite. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. She then immediately leaped to her feet as a dreamy look came over her face.

"Ohh this...this...," she gasped as if she was in love. "This blessing! It must come from heaven! There's no other way around it!"

"That's Tendou for you," Yagami smirked, he himself having gotten used to Tendou's cooking.

"Is it that good?"asked Serena curiously.

"Oooh, it's divine! I could never compare to this!" Lita smiled dreamily, savoring the taste.

"Well then let me have a taste!" Serena cried as she scooped some of Yagami's lunch for herself. She popped it into her mouth before the sudden blowout came when the taste hit her. "Wooooaaaah! Oh my gosh! There's no way to describe it!"

Serena actually had tears running down her face as she and Lita seemed to be basking in some kind of divine light as the taste of the food remained in their mouths. Amy, curiosity finally getting the better of her, decided to see for herself.

"Kira?" she asked. "May I have a bite too?"

"Please do," Yagami smiled, trying not to laugh. "I'm sure Tendou would love to know people loved his cooking."

Actually, Kira wasn't sure if Tendou would even care if people said they loved his cooking. It would probably boost his epic ego as it was but nothing beyond that to be sure. He watched as Ami politely scooped some of the food into her spoon and took a bite. Her eyes opened and she gasped in surprise as she swallowed it.

"Oh my!" she gasped. "It is good."

Yagami almost sweatdropped at her reaction. Amy definitely was a quiet and reserved person if she could be that calm about the taste when almost everyone who had tasted it for the first time had gone wild.

-End Flashback-

"They loved your cooking by the way Tendou," Yagami called to the eldest rider.

"I knew there was a reason why you had me make extra," Tendou smiled. "Just don't spoil them with it or else you'll starve."

"Don't remind me," Yagami sighed as he finished. "I amost have to fend Serena off with a stick some days."

"Ah to be popular," Kagami laughed. "When are you going to meet up with those girls anyway?"

"We weren't going to meet up until later at Raye's house," Yagami replied. "So I'm just going to hang out somewhere until then."

"Behave yourself," Tendou called as he tuned the page of his newspaper.

"Sure Tendou," Yagami sighed as he headed for the door. "I'll be back later,"

---------------------------------------------

Yagami wasn't really sure where he was going to go. He checked out the Crown Arcade but the usual guy at the counter wasn't there so he decided against playing some games. The counter guy Andrew was an alright guy to talk to when Yagami felt like talking. Moving along, he happened upon a cafe. Deciding that he coulld use a drink to wash down lunch, Yagami went right inside.

"Whaaaaat?! A kiss with Darien?!"

Those were the words that assaulted Yagami's ears when he stepped inside. He looked to where the cry had come from and he wasn't surprised to see Serena there blushing madly. A pretty brunette waitress was also with her. She was blushing just as madly.

"A city of countless people in it and I walk into the one cafe that she's in," Yagami snickered. "Will wonders never cease?"

Yagami shrugged as he walked over to Serena from behind and leaned over to her ear.

"What's this I hear about a kiss with Darien?" he teased. "Planning something are we?"

"Waaugh!" Serena cried as she leaped to her feet and turned around. She was breathing heavily and was holding a hand over her heart. "Kiradon'tscaremelikethat!IthinkIlosttenyearsoffmylife!" Serena cried loudly.

"I didn't catch one word from that," Yagami laughed. "Whatever you said I'm sure it was a valid point though."

"Um, excuse me," the waitress spoke up. "But are you a friend of Serena's?"

"Oh that's right!" Serena gasped. "You haven't met before. Kira, this is Unazuki. Unazaki, this is Kira. He's Lita's new boyfriend."

"Ohh!" Unazuki gasped in delight. "You're the boy that I've been hearing about!"

"I wouldn't exactly call myself her boyfriend," Yagami blushed while sticking his hands in his pockets. "We've only been on one date. People seem to keep forgetting that."

"Well, I think It's great you're here," Unazuki smiled with a small blush. "If it's not too forward, could I ask..."

"What?" asked Yagami in curisoty.

"Have you...kissed Lita yet?" Unazuki asked shyly.

"Dwah?!" Yagami gaped. "Uh...Uh...well, no, but even if I did you wouldn't see me going around braging about it!"

"Huh?" wondered Serena. "Why not? If Darien kissed me then I'd be so happy I'd want to scream it to the world."

"Well," Yagami shrugged. "I think that kisses are something that are special to the two people involved. Something that the two people share just between them that no one else has to even know about. Even if the relationship doesn't last then those kisses remind you that they held a very special part of your heart."

"Wow," Unazuki giggled. "So gentlemanly. I really can't say that I've gone any further than either of you."

"What?" Serena gasped. "But you're in high school! I thought you would have had dozens of kisses by now!"

Unazuki suddenly broke out into a wild blush of her own as she put a hand to her cheek, "Well...there is a boy in my life, and I love him so much, but...I haven't really kissed him yet."

Serena pronptly facefaulted, "What?! But if you love him then doesn't that make it okay to kiss him?"

"I suppose," Unazuki nodded shyly. "But I want my first kiss to be with someone I love truly at the right time and the right place. Until then, I want to save it."

"Ah, a real romantic," Yagami laughed. "That's good. You don't really see enough romance these days.

Serena just sweatdropped in defeat. That was not the kind of response that she was hoping for.

"That's cute," someone smiled. "Dreaming of kisses and all that."

The three teens turned to see who had spoke and were faced with familiar faces. Well, familiar for Yagami and Serena anyway.

"Haruka! Michelle!" Serena gasped.

"Didn't notice you were there," Yagami blinked in surprise. "You're good at hiding in plain sight."

"Well, it's an aquired talent," Haruka smiled proudly.

"The three of you dreaming of kisses," Michelle smiled. "I think it's romantic. Dreaming of the perfect kiss. So much like Adam and Eve. A perfect kiss or a perfect couple."

"Oh wow," Serena sighed, dreaming of that perfect kiss except with her and Darien.

"There are also a lot of different kinds of kisses too," Haruka added, deciding to tease the three friends. "The kind on the hand for friendship or on the forehead for affection. They all vary."

"Wow, you sure know alot about this sort of thing Haruka," Serena admired.

"So, given our share of kisses in the past haven't we?" Yagami smirked.

"I suppose," Haruka shrugged. "But I don't just give them carelessly. That would ruin the true purpose of them."

"True purpose?" asked Unazuki.

"Romance, love, the things that truly make someone feel special," Michelle clarified. "It's very simple when you think about it."

"I think that was a given though," Yagami snickered.

"I suppose it is," Haruka laughed as she looked at her watch. "Ah well. We'd better get going."

"I suppose," Michelle sighed as she stood up. "It was nice seeing you two again."

The two older girls sat up from their seats before Haruka paid the bill. They both headed for the exit in their usual mature grace. Serena and Unazaka watched them go in a kind of hero worship. Yagami seemed to be in deep thought.

"I have got to figure out how they hide in plain view like that," he muttered to himself.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Unazuki smiled. "I have some fresh cakes over at my place. Why don't you come over? You can bring your friends. Kira can come too!"

"Really?!" Serena gasped with sparkles in her eyes. "Oh I'd love to! I'll go!"

"You'll see me there," Kira laughed.

"Great!" Unazuki smiled brightly. "Well, I've got to get back to work so I'll see you later."

"Okay!" Serena cheered. "Cake! Cake! Cake!"

Serena didn't even notice that she was drawing attention from every patron in the cafe. Everyone sweatrdropped when they watch her cheer.

'What a meatball brain,' Yagami sighed to himself, his sweatdrop the biggest of them all.

Outside, Haruka and Michelle were walking across the street. Haruka looked up to the sky and sighed deeply before looking back to the sidewalk as she stopped walking.

"Those kids, going on about a first kiss," she sighed.

"I think it's adorable," Michelle smiled. "Even if we don't have the time for such things."

Both women seemed solemn for a moment. They were both about to start walking again when someone began talking.

"Grandmother said this: The emotions within a person's heart can be hidden and moved, but they can never be taken away."

Both women turned to see an older man leaning on a lightpost with his hands in his pockets. He had his eyes turned towards them. Both young women seemed rather surprised ny his appearance.

"Excuse me?" asked Michelle politely.

"Emotions like love, hate, or the like are all contained in the heart," the man explained. "You can not cast them aside and you cannot keep them contained forever. Weither you have time for them or not, they will still come when they are meant to come."

Haruka seemed a little more confused at the message. Michelle's eyes seemed to shimmer in a bit more of understanding.

"Okay," Haruka frowned. "Just who are you?"

The man smirked before standing straight and facing the two women, "The man who walks the path of heaven and will rule over everything," he replied as he poitned in the direction of the sun. "Souji Tendou!"

He let his hand drop as he smirked at the two somewhat confused women, "That is all you need to know."

Tendou then began walking right past them and down the sidewalk. Haruka could feel the confidence coming off of him while Michelle could see it in the way he walked. As Tendou's face was hidden from them, the two women couldn't see the smirk that was still on his face. Like he had picked up an important clue.

"What an odd man," commented Michelle calmly.

"Odd?" asked Haruka. "I'd say he's a downright arrogant jerk."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Within the dark confines of his lab, Professer Tomoe was just finishing his newest daimon. He let it hover gently over the broken glass as he held his hands close to it to hold it in place.

"Kaolinite," he called hautingly.

"Professer?" asked the red-headed beauty as she appeared from the shadows.

"You have been racking up failures I notice," the professer commented. "Has any headway been made in discovering more about these 'Kamen Riders'?"

"Very little," Kaolinite replied sadly. "Their technology is rather advanced and we can't even be sure if the eight we have encountered are the only ones."

"Very well," the professer sighed. "What about a new target? Have you at least done that?"

"Of course," Kaolinite smiled. "A young lady who dreams of her first kiss. Much potential in that in my opinion."

"A kiss," the professer whispered. "I haven't done such a thing in so long,"

The professer began cackling as he realeased the daimon seed into the tunnels which riddeled his lab. As he continued to laugh, Kaolinite could only wish that she would be the one to give her beloved the experience of a kiss again.

---------------------------------------------------------------

In her home, Unazuki was hard at work cleaning it up. She wanted it to look nice for when Serena and the others would come over. She also wanted a little bit of a chance to tease Lita about her new boyfriend a little.

"There," Unazuki smiled as she set her vacum cleaner down. "That should be about it."

Now that she had something new to think about, when she thought about Lita's new relationship, her mind began trailing over to her own. She walked to a picture that held her and her boyfriend in it. She sighed whistfully when she saw it.

"A kiss with someone I love," she sighed. "Am I looking too much into this?"

While she was considering her love life, Unazuki did not notice the small black seed that managed to hover itself through her glass window. It hovered in the room for a moent before it began moving towards her vacum cleaner. It then silently merged itself with the appliance and began to infect it.

The device twisted and mutated right there on the carpet. The noises did manage to catch Unazaka's attention just as it was close to finishing. She turned around and she felt incredible fear rise into her heart when she saw the creature that was forming in front of her.

It's body was where the main vaccum of the body would be while the nose was perched on a helmeted head like a bad hairstyle. Wheels were on the creatures hips while the shins down were covered in plastic armor. The electric cord looked somewhat like a tail. The arms were even covered in the same plastic armor.

"OSOJI!" the daimon cried in glee.

--------------------------------------------------

Yagami walked up to the door of Unazuki's aprtment and hit the buzzer near the dooor.

"Unazuki?" he called. "Sorry about being a little early but I thought that I could help you get ready. Unazuki?"

He hit the buzzer again and figured that she wasn't back from her job yet. He was about to knock when he heard something that made his blood run cold.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" he heard Unazuki scream in sheer terror.

"I think that counts as an invitation!" Yagami remarked as he slammed the door open.

What he came upon was a rather familiar scene. In the middle of the room was yet another daimon which was leering at Unazuki. The girl in question seemed paralyzed with fear as she couldn't back up any farther from the monster.

"Ah ha!" the monster laughed as a small panel opened on her chest to reveal a black star. "Suction!"

Yagami saw the black star light up and he knew what was going to happen. Not considering the consequences, he raced for Unazuki and tackled her to the ground just as the daimon unleashed the energy from her star. The black beam just collided with a lamp before it disappated.

"Grrr," Osoji growled. "You little dust mite!"

"Unazuki!" Yagami shouted, snappping the girl back to reality. "You gotta make a run for it!"

"Huh?" Unazuki gasped. "But what-"

"Now!" Yagami shouted while helping her stand. "Just go!"

Unazuka reluctantly ran for the door and made a break for the hall. Osoji was about to head for the door when Yagami beat her to it and slammed it shut behind him. She growled at him menacingly while he smirked, trying to hide the fact that he was about to wet himself. He had never been this close to a daimon before without his armor. He was feeling terribly vulnerable. Hopefully though, he could change.

"Just you and me now daimon," he smirked.

"I'll suck you up and spit you out dust mite!" Osoji growled.

"I think not," Yagami smiled as he rolled back his sleeve to reveal his bracelt.

"Huh?" Osoji asked in confucion.

"STANDBY!"

A smash was heard from behind Osoji and she turned to see the source. She was pelted by shards of glass that came from the sliding window and felt something whizz past her face. She quickly faced Yagami again to see a robot insect circling around him. Yagami grabbed the insect while he raised his bracelet to head level.

"Henshin!" he called as he snapped his zector into place.

"HENSHIN!" the zector echoed before beginning the transformation.

Osoji's eyes widened as a hexagonal field enveloped Yagami. Before she knew it, she wasn't glaring at a human anymore, she was glaring at Kamen Rider Hakabuto.

"Much better," Hakabuto sighed as he rotated his right shoulder. "Now, time to scrap this piece of faulty equipment!"

----------------------------------------------

Serena was skipping happily towards Unazuki's apartment. Dream of cakes were dancing around in her head. Behind her were her friends. Rei and Mina were following with little intrest. Amy had her face in a book, getting a jump on the studying, and Lita seemed to be expecting someone extra to come. Three guesses who and the first two don't count.

"Cake, I love cake," Serena sang happily. "I'm so lucky to be friends with Unazuki."

"Serena, are you actually going to study today or are you going to stuff yourself with cake?" asked Raye, her patience running low.

"Raye, you're so mean!" Serena whined. "Of course I'm going to study. I'll just eat cake at the same time!"

"Ugh," Raye sighed. "I don't need the sacred fire to see that your future is bleak."

"Hey guys," said Lita. "Didn't Kira say he was going to study with us? Where is he?"

"Yeah," added Mina. "Where is that little cutie anyway?"

A vien suddenly popped on Lita's temple as she stared at he blonde friend. Mina, feeling the death glare pointed at her laughed a little nervously while she sweatdropped vigorously. Thankfully though, Lita didn't get the chance to give Mina a 'talk' about going after 'her' man.

"Someone help!" a new voice cried from the apartment complex.

The girls looked up to where they heard the scream coming from. They were a little surprised to see Unazuki running away from her own complex with a look of sheer terror.

"Unazuki, what's wrong?" asked Serena worriedly.

"You have to help me!" Unauzki cried, fear and worry in her eyes. "I was cleaning my apartment and I only left my vacum for a minute but when I turned around it turned into some kind of monster and I think it's after me!"

'Daimon!' the girls all thought to themselves.

"That's not the worst part," Unazuki trembled. "It was going to shoot some kind of laser at me when Kira suddenly knocked me out of the way. He must have come early or something. He told me to run and I did but he shut himself in my apartment with that thing and HE'S STILL IN THERE!"

"What?!" the girls gasped in shock.

Lita felt a deep clench in her chest. The girls all looked up to the complex where thay all had terrible ideas of what the daimon was doing to their new friend. Lita herself was on the verge of panic when she heard this news.

"Unazuki, you go hide," Serena said seriously. "We'll go get help. We can't let that thig find you."

"I'll try to save Kira," Lita said before she started running for the complex.

"Lita wait!" shouted Raye.

Lita didn't listen as she kept running. Someone close to her was in real danger and she wans't about to let that anything happen to Kira. He was the first guy who seemed interested in her and she didn't want to lose that. She was even considering revealing her identity as Sailor Jupiter if he was in so much danger.

The train of thought she was currently sportng suddenly got derailed when a huge crash could be heard from above. She looked straight up to see two figures falling over the balcony that was part of Unazuka's apartment. One was obviously the daimon, but the other was a familiar figure donned in gold armor.

"Hakabuto?!" Lita gasped to herself.

"CAST OFF!" was her only reply.

Hakabuto's armor suddenly exploded from his body, the pieces flying in all directions. The daimon was struck hard as it was pushed away by the force. It landed heavily with a thud while Hakabuto landed on his feet soundly. His horns folding up onto his helmet to complete his transformation.

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

All the girls were in wide mouh shock as they saw what just happened. The daimon groaned as it tried to get up, but it's progress was rather slow.

"Hey!" Lita cried, catching Hakabuto's atention. "Did you see a boy up in that room?"

"Oh," Hakabuto remarked, silently cursing himself for forgetting that the girls were also coming. "Yeah, I got him out. He was actually going to fight this thing with his bare hands."

Osoji, meanwhile, was finally getting her second wind. The fall was rather painful, but the armor of the rider hitting her like it did made it worse. she looked ahead and saw her target with a group of other humans. She smirked when she saw that the rider was distracted for a moment. Osoji opened her panel which revealed her black star and charged her attack.

"SUCTION!" she cried as she took aim.

Hakabuto instantly turned around wwhen he heard the daimon's cry but hee was too late when the black stream of eenergy shot out right at Unazuki. She didn't even have time to move when she was struck stright in the chest.

"Ahhhh!!" Unazuki cried as a glittering red crystal was pulled out of her chest. When the object was completely free, she fell to the ground unconcious.

"Ha ha ha!" Osoji laughed as she quickly exchanged her right hand for a vacum part which began sucking in the air aroud them. The heart crystal was obviously incredibly light so it was pulled from where it was hovering right into Osoji's waiting hand.

"Why you-!" Hakabuto growled.

"Ha ha!" Osoji crowed. "I got it. I go now!"

With that, Osoji began leaping onto the rooftops, trying to get away. Hakabuto wasn't about to let her get away so he quickly gave chase after her. The other girls were holding Unazaka up, as they watched in dismay.

"I'll get Unazuki inside," Raye volunteered. "You get the daimon and help Hakabuto!"

"Right!" the other four girls nodded.

"MOON COSMIC POWER!"

"SAILOR STAR POWER!"

While the Sailor Scouts were transforming, Osoji was still being chased by Hakabuto. She stopped upon a moderate home, thinking that she had gotten away.

"The talisman is mine!" she crowed in delight.

"We won't let you have it!" a female voice called.

Osoji turned to see who had interrupted her well-deserved gloating. What she found were two women on top. They were back to back and looking rather confident in themselves.

"Who are you?!" Osoji snapped.

"Guided by a new era!" called the first. "Sailor Uranus! Acts with elegance!"

"Also guided by a new era!" said the other. "Sailor Neptune! Acts with grace!"

Grr!" Osoji growled in annoyance. "More dust mites!"

Osoji called out her vacum hand again to prepare an attack. Uranus and Neptune tensed as they readied for the attack. Before any kind of gratuitous viloence could unfold, a thump could be heard before a shadow was cast over all three fighters from a higher building.

"Now you three weren't planning to start this part without me were you?" a male vocie asked.

Uranus and Neptune looked up to see who was interrupting their misson while Osoji seemed to get even more ticked off.

"Graaah!" she hissed. "You again!"

"You again?" Uranus snapped. "You're that guy from the concert."

"That's me. Breaking the chains of destiny to forge my own fate. Kamen Rider Hakabuto!" the gold rider introduced, deciding to make his own dramatic entrance since everyone else was doing one these days.

"This is of no concern to you," Neptune said seriously.

"I think otherwise," Hakabuto said sternly as he leaped to the same lever that the scouts and stared them down. "An innocent girl's heart was stolen and that makes it my business. Don't like it? Too bad!"

While Uranus' hands had clenched in agitation at the interruption, Neptune had a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.

'Breaking the chains of destiny?' she asked herself. 'Where have I heard that before?'

"I've had enough!" Osoji roared, tired of the interruptions. "HURRICANE!"

Out of Osoji's vaccum hand, a torrent of wind came surging out. It sprayed everywhere wildly as she took aim at Uranus, Neptune and Hakabuto. The three fighters leaped out of the way as shingles and debris were hurled in all directions. Uranus managed to get onto some solid bround before clenching her right hand over her head.

"_Uranus World Shaking_!" she called as she unleashed the attack.

The orb of yellow energy roipped through the air and collided with Osoji's hand that was gripping the heart crystal. The daimon cried out in pain as the crystal was launched into the air.

"It's mine!" Uranus called as she leaped for it.

"HURRICANE!" Osoji shrieked as she iunleashed another blast of wind which hurled Uranus out of the way. Unfortuneately, it also sent the crystal flying as well.

"Mine mine mine!" Osoji cried as she gave chase.

"Hold it!" Neptune shouted as she gave chase, Uranus not far behind.

Strangely, Hakabuto didn't seem to be that stressed about the race that was unfolding. He didn't even start running. He just brought his hand to the trusty button on the side of his belt.

"Clock Up!" he called as he pressed the button.

"CLOCK UP!" the zector echoed.

Everything then went still. Osoji was in mid-step and the two scouts were in mid-leap from one building to another. The heart crystal had just stopped in the air. Everything was frozen in place except one thing. Hakabuto himself.

The gold rider dashed forward and wentright past Uranus and Neptune. He was tempted to doodle on them or something but he didn't have a marker on him and Neptune was too nice for him to do that to. He did give Osoji a hard right to the back of the head as he ran past her. He came up to the crystal and made a flying leap or it. He easily clasped the fragile crystal in his hand as he started coming back down.

"CLOCK OVER!" the zector signaled.

Everything sped up as Hakabuto came flying back down to streeet level. WHat he didn't notice was the truck filled with garbage that was driving right below him. He landed softly in the back, along with some scrapped dirt bikes. Unfortuneately, he hit his head as he landed and was now seeing stars as the truck continued to drive away.

Osoji stumbled a little along with a bad headache that suddenly appeared but she leaped to street level along with the two Sailor Scouts as they looked to see just where the crystal had gone. Hakabuto had gone past them so fast, they obviously didn't see him.

"What happened to the crystal?" demanded Uranus.

"WHERE IS IT?!!" Osoji screamed out into the air.

From a rather nice vantage point, two people were watching the entire spectacle. They were none otheer than Kabuto and Gatack in their rider forms. Gatack seemed to be down about something while Kabuto watched everything.

"Shouldn't we have helped him?" demanded Gatack, turning to his comrade. "He was outnumbered!"

"He was doing fine," Kabuto replied neutrally. "Now we'll have to find him though. Come on."

Kabuto turned to leave with Gatack close behind. There was a heart crystal on the line and there wasn't much time to waste. That and Hakabuto was a sitting duck right now.

-------------------------------------------

Kanemaru sat in his aprtment while doing some surfing on his new laptop. He was looking up information on the Sailor Scouts and anything else that was even remotely connected to them. Needless to say, he found a whole lot of fan-sites and people who were worshipping them. Some of it was kind of perverted too.

"Ew," he grimaced as he pulled up another mis-named photo. "That sure won't help."

He stopped his searching when his cellphone rang. He instantly pulled it out and accepted the call.

"Hello?...Kagami, yes...Are you serious? Okay, I'm on it!" he spoke in turn.

Kanemaru ended the call and made his way for the door. He sped down tha halls in his mad dash for the door. He almost ran into Megumi, but he managed to avoid the collison. After a quick apology he sped off. Megumi did a double take when she watched him go. She thought that she saw some kind of robot bee following him or something.

--------------------------------------------

Yagurma and Kageyama were walking through the empty streets with their usual attitudes. They had nothing else to do at the moment since the arcade was closed and they couldn't afford to fight any of the other riders at the moment. So they jst walked down the streets looking mean.

"Aniki," Kageyama whined. "Don't you just wish one of those daimon things would just appear already?"

"I know aibou," Yaguruma sighed. "I see now why the people can be so calm when there are mosters about. They don't attack regularly like worms did. Pity."

They stopped at a street corner when they saw a waste truck drive by. Yaguruma thought nothing of it until he saw something sticking out of the back. A boot of none other than the newest rider. Kageyama recognised it as well.

"Well well," Kageyama smirked. "New Guy's in trouble Aniki."

"I think we just found something to do," Yaguruma smirked. "Let's go."

With that, the two men set out after the car. They only hoped that whereever this thing was going, it was better than what they were doing a minute ago.

------------------------------------------

Tsurugi sat at an esqusite cafe with his tea served to him. The blend was rather nice but not as good as the kinds he got back home. He was also beginning to dislike the lack of action this world had to offer. The daimon were sparse enough as it was but with those cheerleaders running around, not to mention the other riders, he hardly got enough time to practice his skills. A pity.

Tsurugi set down his tea as his cellphone rang. Silently vowing to hunt down the person on the other end if it wasn't something he wanted to hear, he snapped it open and took the call.

"What?" he sighed. "...should I care? It's his mess...he has one does he? ...A valid point. Very well. Just save this daimon for me."

Tsurugi ended the call as he finished his tea and left some money. From where he keppt his sword hidden under his jacket, he fingered the handle lightly. Finally he could get some action.

--------------------------------------------

Daisuke had just finished with his latest client for the day. A delightful young woman named Megan who wanted to get ready for her date with her boyfriend Melvin. She thanked him profusely as he finished before she left to find the boy in question. Daisuke just smiled as he watched her go before going to his ringing cellphone.

"Hello?" he asked politely. "Ah, hello...It's never a social call with you is it? ...The poor girl!...Of course I'll help. I'll see you soon."

Daisuke hung up and placed his phone back into his back. From there he pulled out his Drake Grip and headed for the door. The buzzing of his zector could already be heard following him as he left.

---------------------------------------------

A large headache was all Hakabuto could feel when he came to with a groan. He slowly opened his eyes and began to look at his surroundings. He looked to find himself surrounded by rusty cars and old machinery so he assumed that he was in a scrapyard of some kind. He checked his hands and found himself to still be holding the heart crystal.

"Last time I go do something stupid like that," he groaned as he felt his head.

"Too bad we missed seeing you do it," someone laughed. "Would have been amusing."

Hakabuto turned to his audience as he stepped off the truck and saw Yagauruma and Kageyama leaning against some wrecked cars. Both of them had amused smirkes on their faces.

"Yeah you can laugh now bu I still got the crystal," Hakabuto announced proudly.

"True," Yaguruma nodded. "But how long will that remain true until the daimon comes looking for it."

"That's where you guys come in," Hakabuto shot back. "I'd be fighting with only one arm and I know for a fact that you guys just love to fight things like these."

"True," Kageyama laughed. "But only if we feel like it."

"Did I mention that Uranus and Neptune probably won't be too far away?" Hakabuto added hopefully.

"The pretenders?" laughed Yaguruma. "Oh that just makes it all worth it."

"The chance to see the looks on their faces when we beat them down again?" asked Kageyama. "Sounds like fun."

"OSOJI!" a screech ripped through the air.

The three men looked up to the source and found the daimon they wre facing standing atop a pile of wrecked cars. She looked mad and her attatchment was ready for some more action.

"Give me the talisman!" Osiji shrieked angrily.

"You didn't say please," Yaguruma teased as he stood up. "What bad manners."

"She needs a lesson Aniki," Kageyama laughed as he followed his 'brother'.

"That she does Aibou," Yaguruma agreed.

"STANDBY!" two mechanical voices called out.

Osoji was somewhat confused on where the voices came from, but she recognised the tone. She then heard bounching noises coming from somewhere in the scrap piles and they were coming closer. She peered in the direction of the noises and watched two mechanical grasshoppers bounce towards the two men. One green, one silver. Both men caught one and gripped theem tightly.

"Henshin!" they both called as they snappped the grasshoppers to their belts.

"HENSHIN!" two mechanical voices echoed before beginning the change.

Both men were instantly covered in armor that seemed to be exact doubles. The only difference was that one was green with red eyes while the other was silver with white eyes. They both peered at Osoji while the mechanical voices spoke out again.

"CHANGE KICK HOPPER!"

"CHANGE PUNCH HOPPER!"

Osoji hissed in rage as she witnessed the change. Now she had to deal with three riders instead of the one she had followed. Not only that, but she also had to deal with getting the crystal back.

"You want the crystal so bad?" asked Kick Hopper. "Then come and take it!"

Osoji hissed before aiming her vaccum hand at the riders, "HURRICANE!"

The wind storm blew out of her hand straight at the riders. They all leaped out of the way, but the truck that Hakabuto had been riding in was instantly flipped by the sheer force of the winds.

The truck kept flipping until it seemed to suddenly split in two. The two pieces crashed to the side and kicked up some dust. Osoji would have kept trying to blast her opponents when her arm was blasted by an unseen attacker, sending the attatchment flying. Finally, as she tried to recover, she was attcked from behind from an unseen attacker. She screamed as she fell to the ground and crashed into the dirt.

"A poor daimon," someone from the wrecked truck sighed. "Why did I bother coming?"

From out of the dust, Sawsword in his rider form walked into the clear air. He shook his head at the struggling daimon and really wondered if it was worth the fight. Up on top a pile of cars, Drake could be seen in his rider form, holding his gun in a relaxed position.

"It's better that doing nothing," he laughed.

"I'll agree to that," Zabee nodded from where he was standing. Right where Osoji used to be. He was also in rider form.

While Osoji found herself surrounded by riders, two people were watching the event. It was needless to say that the two were none other than Uranus and Neptune.

"Damn!" Uranus hissed. "Why do they keep getting in the way?"

"There's so many of them," Neptune observed. "I don't think even we could get the crystal away from them."

"We have to!" Uranus replied. "Our misson depends on it."

Uranus raised her hand as she readied her attack. Neptune knew what she was going to do. She was going to aim at the daimom, but in the confusion of what would happen next, they would attack Hakabuto and get the heart crystal back. Neptune nodded to her partner before getting ready to attck.

"_Uranus World Sha_-!"

"_Neptune Deep Sub_-!"

Both attacks were halted from attacking when both women found their arms trapped in strong grips. Uranus turned to see her attacker and found herself staring into the blue eyes of Kabuto. The same could be said for Neptune and Gatack.

"Not an advisable course of action," Kabuto warned.

"Not a real way to make friends either," Gatack added.

"We're not here to make friends, were here to get that crystal!" Uranus snapped. "Now stay out of our way or be treated like the enemy."

"You know," Kabuto sighed. "It's a little difficult right now to tell just how you are different from these daimon,"

Neptune gasped noticebly and felt like someone had just slapped her in the face. Uranus growled and glared daggers at the red rider.

"What...did you...just say?" Uranus growled, her fury rising.

Neptune seemed to be too stunned to move for the moment. Gatack didn't even have to hold her. Uranus, on the other hand, broke out of Kabuto's grip and faced him.

"_Uranus World Shaking_!" Uranus roared as she hurled her attack and the seemingly unconcerned Kabuto.

"1, 2, 3," Kabuto's zector called as he pressed the buttons, watching the attack come closer.

"Rider Kick," Kabuto ordered as he snapped the horn back into place before pulling it again. "RIDER KICK!"

The World Shaking roared closer to Kabuto who stood ready for it. When it seemed it was going to hit him, Kabuto used a roundhouse kick and sent it right back at her.

"Ahhh!" Uranus cried in pain as her attack was rebounded on her. She was put to the ground and she skiidded a foot or two.

"Uranus!" Neptune cried, snapping out of her shock and running to her partner. She turned to glare at the two riders in front of her. What confused her was that neither made a move to attack. As Uranus got back up, the four of them were put into a standoff.

While this little drama was unfolding, Osoji was using a her other attacks to try and get the crystal back from Hakabuto. She had opened her tummy and was shooting exploding bags of dirt at the riders which was so far, keeping them distracted from attacking.

"A poor daimon huh?" asked Zabbe sarcastically.

"Quiet!" Sawsword hissed angrily.

"The talisman!" Osoji shrieked as she hurled more bags at ther opponents. Dust was everywhere and none of the riders could see anything.

"_Jupiter Supreme Thunder Crash_!" a female voice suddenly called.

When the words were said, a bolt of lightening came down from the sky and slammed into Osoji. She shrieked in agaony as she felt the electricity zoomed through her body. Since she was so busy writhing in pain she couldn't shoot anymore bags. This let the dust settle so that the riders could see.

When their vision did claer, they could see four new figures on top of the cars. They were none other than Sailors Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter.

"Ah, hello ladies," Drake greeted. "We meet again."

"Welcome to the party!" Kick Hopper snickered.

"Hi booooys!" Venus winked cutely, trying to catch the main spotlight from them.

Sailor moon and the others sighed at her actions befoore they leaped to the ground. Sailor Moon summoned her moon heart rod as she faced the daimon.

"You guys have been taking all the fun," Jupiter smirked. "Time to let us do our thing for a change."

Sailor Moon held up her rod as it started to light up with magic.

"_Moon Heart Spiral Attack_!" she cried as she fired the large heart at the daimon.

The impact made the ground tremble slightly as Osoji was hit head on. Her scream of "LOVELY!" echoed through the air. She then erupted in smoke before a vacum cleaner fell to the ground. A black seed was soon ejected before it broke, relasing the smoke creature into the air.

"Sure, let them take the fun part," Sawsword sighed in disappointment.

While this was happening, Kabuto Gatack, Uranus, and Neptune were still eying each other. The two scouts couldn't got for the crystal, less they get attacked from behind. If they stayed where they were much longer than the other scouts or the riders would get to it first.

That all changed when they heard the death cry of the daimon. When she heard this, Uranus decided to take a chance and she raced towards Hakabuto, who was a little seperate from the main group, still holding the crystal.

"Give me the crystal!" she shouted as she lunged for him.

"Woah!!" Hakabuto cried in surprise as he tossed the crystal over Uranus' head, just before she slammed into his chest, and knocking him over.

The heart crystal flew into the air, spinning wildly. The scouts were gasping while a number of riders were staring in shock. Only one riders was still thinking and that was Kabuto. He ducked past Neptune and leaped for the crystal as it was coming down. He caught it expertly in his hands and landed flat on his feet. He gazed at the crystal intently as Neptune stepped closer, ready to attack if she had to.

"Just hand over the crystal," she said sternly.

Kabuto didn't reply as he continued to stare. After a moment, he turned his gaze up to Neptune and gave a reply to her demand.

"This isn't what you're looking for," he answered.

"What?!" Neptune gasped in surprise. Could this man sense the talismans?

Kabuto stepped closer to Neptune and held out the crystal. She took the moment to examine the crystal for herself. To her surprise, she found that there wasn't a talisman. Kabuto had been right.

"He's right," Neptune announced to Uranus, who was getting off Hakabuto. "It isn't a talisman."

Uranus sighed in agaitation. All that grief over nothing, "Then I guess we're leaving."

With that, both scouts leaped away. Leaving the younger ones and the riders behind. Kabuto turned wordlessly to Hakabuto and tossed him the heart crystal.

"You know where this goes," said Kabuto. "Make sure it gets there."

Hakabuto nodded as he caught the crystal. He then clocked up and raced for where Unazuki was. Drake clocked up and followed him. Kabuto and the other riders then all left, leaving the scouts to hurry and get back to Unazuki's house.

-------------------------------------------------------

Raye sat near Unazuki's bed, where she was kept. She was praying to enforce the sealing talisman that she was keeping on her to continue working. Not long after Raye had gotten her to bed, she had gotten up and strted trying to kiss her relentlessly. It was lucky that she had gotten the talismon on her when she did or else who knows what Unazuki would have tried to do.

Raye's chants were stopped whe she heard someone coming down the hall. She stood up slightly to reach for her henshin stick just in case it was the daimon coming to finish Unazuki off. When the door to the hall opened, she almost fell over in shock. Coming into the room were both Hakabuto and Drake. Hakabuto was also holding the heart crystal.

"How is she?" asked Drake worriedly as he stood next to Raye while Hakabuto leaned over Unazuki.

"Not good and getting worse," Raye replied. "If she didn't get her heart back soon she would have died."

Drake watched silently as Hakabuto gently lay the crystal onto Unazuki's chest. The crystal was quickly absorbed by her body and the color returned to her face.

"I think she's going to be okay," Hakabuto sighed in relief.

"Excellent," Drake nodded. "Young women like her shouldn't have to have their hearts stolen for some selfish purpose, robbing them of their inner beauty."

He then turned to Raye, his beautician's eye instinctively noticing her.

"I should hope that I don't see you in a position like hers," he added. "Seeing it once is enough for me."

Raye immediately flushed at the words, "Oh...d-don't worry about me. It won't happen,"

"I should hope not," Drake nodded. "We'd better geet moving Hakabuto."

"Sure," the gold rider nodded.

With that, both riders clocked up and vanished from sight.

--------------------------------------------

Needless to say, the study session was cancelled while Unazuki was recovering. So after Yagami managed to change back and return, they decided to go to just watch her until she woke up. They were currently chatting while Raye told them about her encounter with Drake and Hakabuto. Darien and Serena were out on the balcony talking about something. Lita and Yagami were in the kitchen, preparing snacks.

"Kira," Lita began. "Were you really going to fight that monster?"

"If I had to, yes," Yagami replied, trying not to give himself away. "I was lucky that guy in the gold armor showed up when he did. That thing looked a lot stronger than me."

Lita just turnd around while she smiled brightly, "I'm just glad you're okay."

"To be honest, me too," Yagami laughed before he recieved a sharp bonk to his head. "OW!"

"If you make me worry like that again then I'll make you wish that you did fight the monster," Lita said darkly before her face looked more worried than anything else. "Please don't do it again."

'If only I could promise that,' Yagami thought to himself.

Yagami nodded before he and Lita headed out with two trays of snacks. Rae was still goig on about how charming Drake had been and how she couldn't wait to see him again. Yagami had to hold in a massive sweatdrop at hearing this little declaration.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Whew! Another one. A long one too. All the riders got into the mix this time and things really got chaotic. Kabuto can seemingly sense talismans too, well, he can somehow tell if worms are in disguise so it isn't that far of a stretch. While I'm thinking of it, Drake wasn't hitting on Raye. He was just being his usual 'protect all women' attitude. Even if Raye thinks he was hitting on her. It will cause some ripples in the story so keep an eye out!


	9. Moon's Love Aid Beetle's Misery

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. They belong to their respective creators and no one else. I am only writing this for fun and no one can stop me! Aha ha ha ha ha! 'Ahem.' Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the fic.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chpater 8: Moon's Love Aid. Beetle's Misery.

Within the dark confines of his laboratory, Professer Tomoe was hard at work creating yet another daimon. He was growing...iritable, with the continued failures of these creatures. Certainly they had managed to secure a pure heart crystal but there wasn't a talisman inside of them nor could they actually keep it.

"Professer," Kaolinite's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Kaolinite,"the Professer acknowledged as he worked.

"Are you working on a new daimon?" the red-head asked curiosly.

"How many?" the Professer sighed. "How many daimon must we throw away? Failure upon failure is stacked up upon each other. Our quest for the talismans is becoming costly. What of these obstacles known as the Sailor Scouts and Kamen Riders?"

"Nothing useful I'm afraid," Kaolinite sighed. "There's so much information on the scouts that it's hard to tell what might be true. With the Riders, it is quite the opposite. There's no information at all."

"I see," The professer commented as he poured the chemicals together, destroying his beaker and creating a new daimon egg.

"Don't worry professer," Kaolinite smiled. "I will see to this one personally. I even have the perfect target in mind."

"Oh?" the Professer wondered as he let the daimon egg float in his hands.

"Yes," Kaolinite nodded. "With all the talk of hearts, I am guessing that love may be an important factor in finding a talisman."

"Hmm," the Professer pondered. "A reasonable idea. Very well. I will leave it in your hands."

The Professer then let the daimon egg hover into Kaolinite's hands. With a small laugh, she teleorted from the room. All that was left was her lab coat which fluttered to the ground.

-----------------------------------------------------

Yagami yawned as the last bill of the day finally went off. The teacher left the room as the other students began packing their things. The rumor mill had been going full speed lately. Word had gotten out that he and Lita were dating so naturally a lot of people had to find out if the rumors were true. Needless to say, Yagami found himself cornered quite often. Even if he told them that it was only one date, people seemed to think he and Lita were in a relationship. Not that the thought of which was a bad thing, but Yagami was the type who took things slowly. He found it a little insulting when some people asked why he would want to date a tomboy liker her. Others had asked how far he had gotten. This prompted Yagami to bash them over the head for their perversion.

Seeing that no one wanted to corner him today, he quickly made his exit. Walking out into the schoolyard he spied Lita standing at the gates apparently waiting for someone. He also notced that Amy and Serena were nowhere to be seen. When he managed to get close enough, she noticed him and smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Hi Kira," she greeted brightly. "Heading home?"

"I guess," Yagami shrugged. "What happened to Amy and Serena?"

"Not sure," Lita replied. "Serena had to talk to her friend Melvin about something while Amy said she had to get some new books."

"What about you?" Yagami asked.

"Me?" Lita wondered. "Well, I was going to go over to Raye's place and get some early studying in. I was kinda hoping you could come with me."

Yagami blinked at hearng this while Lita looked to the ground with her face reddening. He thought about turning her down for a moment, but he realised that Tendou probably wouldn't care where he went while Kagami would try to scold him for turning down a lady. That and the fact that Yagami did not want to be teased by Kagami or get that cryptic advice from Tendou whenever he asked either of them a question. He could use the study time anyway.

"Sure," Yagami grinned, which caused Lita to look up with a smile of delight.

"Then let's go," Lita smiled as she led the way.

The walk to the temple wasn't very far, which was good because neither of the two teenagers really knew what to say. When they got to the stairs, Yagami immediately recognised the place as where the first daimon had showed up. They both reached the top to see Raye in her priestess clothes coming out of where she kept the sacred fire. Another guy with long shaggy brown hair, who Lita introduced as Chad, was sweeping the front walk.

"Hi Raye!" lita called, catching the priestess' attention.

"Oh!" she smiled. "Hi Lita. Hi Kira."

"Yo," Yagami greeted with a wave. "Thought we could get some extra studying doen before the others showed up. Is that okay?"

"Oh that's perfectly alright," Raye smiled as she headed for the house with her two friends close behind. "In fact, I've been meanng to talk to the two of you."

"You have?" asked Lita.

"Yup," Raye nodded. "Hold on while I get changed."

Raye then headed for her room while Lita and Yagami seated themselves at the living room table.

"What do you think she wants to talk to us about?" wondered Lita.

"Dunno," Yagami shrugged. "You know her better than I do. I only got added to your little group about two or three weeks ago."

"And you fit in already," Lita smiled.

Yagami smiled just as Raye entered the room again. She was wearing a pink and yellow sweater with a pair of jeans. She walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Okay," she smiled. "It's lucky you two decided to drop by. I have something that I want to show you."

The young priestess reached to her pocket before pulling out a poster that had a huge pink heart on the front with an image of a man and a woman holding hands. Yagami looked at the words on it and saw that it was advertising the opening of Lover's Park with a couples contest. He looked a the date and saw that the contest was opening soon. Tomorrow to be exact.

"Well," Yagami commented. "It's an upcoming event, but what does it have to do with us?"

Raye witheld the urge to facefault. Instead, she took a huge breath and began to explain. "It's more than just an event. This is an excellent chance for lovers to really explore their feelings for each other and see how deep those feelngs go. This is perfect for the two of you!"

"What?!" both teens gasped in shock. Lita had turned beet red while Yagami was quickly matching her blush.

"I-I-I don't think that's for us just yet," Yagami tried to protest.

"Oh why not?" asked Raye. "You said you'd like a second date back at that concert didn't you? Well this is the perfect chance. You won't be the only ones there either."

At her own seat, Lita was still blushing so hard she thought steam might be coming out of her ears soon. As embarassing as it was to have her friends pry into her own affairs of love, she couldn't help but wonder what it might be lke to be with Yagami in a contest like that. She started imagining something like her in a beautiful dress and him in a tuxedo, going to all sorts of lengths to prove their feelings for each other. Coming back to reality, she turned her blushing face to Yagami.

"Um...I...I wouldn't mind if we went," she spoke softly.

Yagami turned to Lita and saw that she was still embarassed about being cornered like this. Who wouldn't? He could see hopefulness in her eyes. Sensing that refusing at this point might just ruin her entire day, Yagami knew that there was no other alternative.

"Well," he shrugged with his red face. "If you'd really like to go...then I guess we can."

Lita cmiled cutely before Raye reached into her pockets again, "Great! I knew you would say yes Kira. You're such a nice guy. To save you the trouble, I even had you two registered in the contest early."

"Raye!" Yagami and Lita cried as Raye pulled out two tickets for entering the contest. Yagami only pondered to himelf why so many of the girls wanted to 'assist' in any relationship that he might have with Lita.

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Kamemaru was sitting at his computer searching for any kind of information that might be related to the daimon or the Sailor Scouts. Something beyond fan sites anyway. Those were proven to be run by either groupies or hormone-driven boys with too much time on their hands. He had his hair tied back again while he sipped some cofee. He was about to stop and make some lunch when a knock came to his door. Not expecting any visitors, he walked to his front door and opened it.

"Megumi," Kamemaru blinked. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Um," Megumi blushed. "Can...can I ask a favor?"

"Sure," Kamemaru nodded. "Come on in."

Megumi stepped inside and slipped off her shoes before putting on an extra pair of house slippers.

"So what's this favor you need anyway?" Kamemaru asked curiously.

"Well," Megumi began, her blush returning as the two friends took a seat in the living room. "Did you hear about that couples contest that they're holding in Lover's Park tomorrow?"

"I've seen the posters," Kamemaru nodded before deciding to tease the younger girl. "Are you looking for a date or something? My schedule's kind of full right now."

"NO!!" Megumi cried with her face a bright pink. Kamemaru just laughed before Megumi started speaking again. "I already have a date. It's just that I sort of need an escort. My mom has work and my dad does too. My boyfriend's parents can't do it either. I then thought you might be able to help."

"Hmm," Kamemaru pondered. "That is a tall order. Playing escort so that a young lady's virture remains untainted. A big job, but I think that I'll be able to pull it off. Megumi, you have yourself an escort!"

"Really?!" Megumi smiled brightly. "Oh thank you Kamemaru!"

"It's nothing," Kamemaru smiled. "I'm glad to help."

Megumi still had her bright smile on her face as she exited the apartment. She was practically skipping down the hall as she went back to her own apartment. Kamemaru just shrugged and went back to his kitchen to make some lunch. He had been told by Kagami that the new guy was seeing someone. He Idly wondered if he was going to see him there.

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It was a troubling night for Yagami as he tried to get some sleep. After he got back from the study session, he had to go get something nice to wear for the contest. Unfortunately, that meant bringing Kagami along since Tendou wasn't home. Kagami said that he was looking up leads for whoever was creating the daimon. The task of getting the suit itself wasn't that bad, but Kagami kept trying to make suggestions of what would be nicest at a wedding.

-**Enter Flashback-**

'One Rider Kick Kami-Sama,' Yagami begged to those above. 'Just let me use one Rider Kick on him.'

As he was looking through some colours that he liked, he had bumped into an odd fellow with the thickest glasses he had ever seen. The guy intoduced himself and Melvin and the two started talking when they had discovered that both of them were entering the contest.

"So who are you taking?" Yagami asked as he looked at a casual white suit.

"My girlfriend Molly Osaka," Melvin proclaimed proudly.

"Wait," Yagami frowned. "Molly Osaka? Are you friends with Serena Tsukino?"

"Yeah," Melvin nodded. "How did you know?"

"Wow," Yagami laughed. "It's a small world out there. I'm friends with her too. I'm taking one of her friends, Lita Kino, out for the contest."

"Ooooh," Melivin nodded. "So you're the guy who's dating her. I've heard the rumors about that."

"Why is it such a big deal anyway?" Yagami wondered. "Do couples rarely come up at school."

"Well you don't know Lita's history," Melvin explained. "She came to our school because she was expelled from her last one for fighting. It sort of gave her a reputation and most people stayed away from her untl Serena became her friend."

"So why is it a big deal that I went on a date with her?" asked Yagami.

"Well, it's a mix of reasons," Melvin shrugged. "One is her height and combat skills. Another is her tomboy attitude. Most boys at school really didn't want that in a girlfriend."

"I'm the same height as her," Yagami listed. "I don't care if she fights, I like strong women, and I also think tomboys are cute. I don't have any reason to be turned away."

"That's probably why you two hit it off so well," Melvin shrugged as he looked at a sky blue suit. "Molly seems to think it's great for her. Serena and her other friends don't seem to have much social lives except for Serena herself and that Darien guy I heard she dates."

"Really?" asked Yagami, shocked at this. "I would have thought pretty girls like them would have all had boyfriends by now."

"You'd think," Melvin nodded as he looked at himself in a mirror with the suit in front of him. "But it doesn't seem that way. It's like they don't have time for it or something. They don't work in clubs or anything so I'm a little curious as what they do in their spare time most days. Maybe they're the Sailor Scouts or something."

"That would mean I'm dating a Sailor Socut," Yagami laughed. "Living the dream of teen boys everywhere."

"Ha ha," Melvin laughed. "Well those guys are getting a little worried about those guys in bug armor though,"

"What?" Yagami flinched. Kagami, who was listening in, flinched as well.

"You know, the Kamen Riders I think they're called," Melvin replied. "They showed up when these new youma appeared but no one knew who the heck they were until the last attack when the gold rider appeared. Someone managed to catch a picture of him."

Yagami was now feeling incredibly stupid. The one time he diecided to make an entrance he gets caught on film. The other riders were going to tear him a new one of this led to them getting exposed my the media. He could just imagine Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper getting first licks while the others destroy what's left.

"Oh, really?" Yagami asked.

"Yup," Melvin nodded, not noticing the change in voice. "There are a few of them too. They were all spotted at the scrapyard when explosions were heard coming from the area."

'Well at lest they don't know who we really are,' Yagam thought to himself. "Do they have any fans yet?"

"Quite a few girls," Melvin replied as he started foldng the blue suit so he could take it to the counter. "Most of them are in the Sci-Fi clubs right now but more fans are popping up all the time."

'Great,' Yagami moaned inwardly 'What god did I piss off to deserve this?'

-**End Flashback**-

So there Yagami was, tryng to get some sleep,all the while fretting about what was going to happpen on his date. When he did finally get to sleep, his dreams were filled with crazy fangirls who chased him down in his rider armor and he couldn't find anywhere private to get it off.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The day of the competition was a highly antcipated one. Lita and Yagami were all ready for the competition.Lita wearing a green pair of pants with a tellow button up jacket. Yagami was just in a plain brown suit that he had picked up from the shop. Melvin had the blue suit he had eyed yesterday while Molly was wearing a blue skirt with a white jacket and red scarf. They had both hooked up with Melvin and Molly before heading to the park along with Serena. Melivin looked a little worse for wear. He couldn't get to sleep last night despite the tried and true method of counting sheep. Naru was a little concerned for him since he was marching like a robot.

"You sure you're okay?" Yagami asked in concern.

"I'm fine!" Melvin replied nervously. "Honest!"

"Serena! Lita!" someone shouted.

The friends turned to where the voice had origionated from and saw Raye, Amy, and Mina standing near a tree. All of them had encouraging smiles on their faces.

"You guys!" Serena cheered as she bounced over, dragging her friends with her. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think Meatball-head?" Raye smiled. "We're here to cheer our friends on."

"Yup!" Mina smiled. "And you know me! I'm wherever the romance is!"

"I was actually thinking that I could make use in this sort of thing one day," Amy smiled before blushing profusely realising what that sounded like as everyone looked at her. "AH! Um..."

Fortunately, she was saved from embarassment when Mina caught sight of some familiar faces, "Ah Look! It's Haruka and Michelle!"

Everyone looked to where Mina had been pointing and saw the couple in question. They were both dressed up very nicely. Michelle looked like a modern day princess while Haruka was crossdressing again. Unless one knew she was a woman, they probably wouldn't be able to tell.

"Wow," Raye remarked. "Two girls entering the competition?"

"They look so natural together," Lita commented.

"Wow," Yagami remarked. "Those two have some serious courage. Some people really look down on couples like them. I am really rather envious of them if they have this much courage with them."

While the girls were admiring the two women's beauty, Kamemaru had been waiting for the competition to begin. Megumi and her boyfriends had dashed off to get ready so he was forced to just sit in the audience and wait. Of course, when he Yagami, he just to say hello.

"Hey New Guy!" he called with a smile, catching the young man's attention.

"Kamemaru?" Yagami asked as he saw the older rider walking towards them. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I'm a chaperone," Kamemaru shrugged. "How about you?"

"Competing," Yagami gulped as his own nervousness appeared.

"Oh?" Kamemaru grinned. "And just which one of these lades is you partner I wonder."

"Um..me sir," Lita blushed as she raised her hand.

"So you must be this Lita that Kagami told me about," Kamemaru smiled. "Sorry to hear about your first date being crashed by that monster."

'Kagami must die,' Yagami swore to himself. "Shouldn't you be chaperoning somewhere?"

"Yeah I suppose you're right," Kamemaru shrugged. "Well, best of luck New Guy."

With that, he walked off for the audience again. The girls blinked at his sudden arrival and departure. All eyes turned to Yagami for an explanation, "His name's Kamemaru," he explained. "He's a friend of my brother and cousin."

"Oh," Raye nodded. "That explains why you were so friendly with him."

Suddenly, a loudspeaker came to life asking for all contestants in the contest to please report to the stage. With some final words of luck, the girls went to get some good spot while Lita, Yagami, Melvin, and Molly made their way to the stage.

"All right everyone!" the announcer cried to the audience. "Are we ready to feel the love? These select couples have come here to express how deep their feelings for each other really are. And in the end, only one couple with their loving pure hearts will light the torch of Lover's Park!"

Away from the audience, Kaolinite was leaning on a tree with a smile on her face. She had planted the daimon seed she had collected from the Professer in the new statue of a giant heart that was going to be revealed at the end of the competition. It would activate when a lover with a pure heart touched it. Then the daimon would awake and steal their pure heart. It was simple and elegant. Practicallly slef-fufilling. All she had to do was wait.

"All right everyone!" the anouncer grinned. "Let's begin with a little test! Would the ladies please enter backstage and slip their hand through the hole in front of them?"

The women did what they were told while the men (and Haruka) stayed right where they were. When the women had slipped their hands throough the heart shaped holes that were cut into the stage wall, the announcer began speaking again.

"Alright gentlemen," the announcer explained. "The test is easy. All you have to do is find your lover's hand among all the others. You may begin now!"

Haruka immediately stepped away from the others and grasped a hand that was protrudng from the wall. She showed no doubt or indecision. She just went right for one. After a brief talk with the announcer about soemthign cheap from what Yagami could hear, she called out Michelle's name before the door opened. Sure enough, that was who was behind the door. It just reinforced Yagami's suspicions that they were in THAT kind of relationship.

'I really envy them,' Yagami thought to himself. 'You don't see that kind of courage everyday.'

Melvin thought he found Naru next but not before having a mental breakdown of sorts. He got it wrong, but the thought still counted. Yagami decided to just swallow his pride and go for it. He looked at the rows of hands, looking for somethign that would make Lita stand out. He knew that she loved to cook so her hands were going to be clean. That didn't help much. He also knew she was wearing a long sleeve jacket so the sleeve would be showing. She was also a fighter so her hand was probably going to be at least a little more muscular than the others. He spied the hands for a few more moments before he saw one thrd from the end that matched perfectly, he could see the yellow sleeve. Remembering to breathe, he walked over to the spot and gently grasped the hand there.

"Oooooh!" the announcer called as he ran over to Yagami. "Looks like we have another one. And just what is your love's name?"

"Lita Kino," Yagami replied confidentally, even if he was terrified of having screwed up.

The hand he had chosen retreated into the hole before the door opened. There was a moment of waiting before Lita came out of the doorway and wrapped her arms around Yagami's shoulders in a congratulatory hug.

"I knew you'd find me!" she giggled.

The audience was very much impressed to see him haven chosen correctly. They were also moved by the affection shown. Four girls in the front however were practically rioting in good cheer. Well, truthfully it was three but Amy was still cheering for her friends, just quietly.

"Alright you two!" Serena cheered loudly.

"I knew you two were a match!" Mina cried happily.

"I'm so happy for them," Amy smiled.

"I told you two I was right!" Raye laughed.

Kamemaru watched the event unfold and nodded. The new guy had picked a good one.

The show had continued on and events came one after another. Three legged race to karakoe. Before it started, Yagami confessed to having a terrible singing voice, but Lita just smiled and encouraged him to do his best. They did alright, but Haruka and Michelle won first in most of the events with them in a close second sometimes. The final event soon came up and when Yagami heard it, he thought his heart had stopped.

"Okay everyone! This is it!" the anouncer cheered. "The confession contest! Each of these people can confess their love to ther partner and you in the audience can award them points by your volume."

The audience cheered in understanding before the announcer tried to get Haruka and Michelle to go first. To everyone's surprise though, Haruka and Michelle both dropped out. Haruka made this comment that no one there could lose because love is everywhere. The audience was a little confused but they were also moved by the speech and gave applause.

"Alright then," the announcer sweatdropped before turning to Yagami and Lita. "As second place then you two are going next."

Yagami gulped nervously while Lita began going red. The stage cleared for the two of them.Yagami tunred to Lita who looked nervously to him, not sure if she wanted to hear this or not. Yagami wasn't sure if he could put what he felt into words, but he knew he felt something. Spending time with her felt natural while seeing her when he was fighting Osoji had secretly made him terrified that she was going to get hurt. He easily understood that after the adnrenaline form the last battle wore off and he thought about the fight. Hearing Lita become worried about him when she heard he locked himself in a room with a daimon really made him feel good. Silently swearing to corner Raye and see if she knew about this confession thing, he took a deep breath before beginning.

"Well, Lita," he sighed. "What can I say? The whirlwind of feelings I have in me right now is rather indescribable. When I see you I see an independant and very unique woman in front of me. What I'm saying right now is my confession of affection, respect, admiration, and desire to protect you from whatever might do you harm. Those are just a few of the things I'm feeling. Little by little Lita, you are pulling me in. I don't know if I'm good enough for you, but I am willin to try."

By now, Lita was in tears, but not the sad kind. She had partially given up hope that anyone was going to say those kinds of words to her. Hearing those words words made her soul soar. When he had finished, she raced across the stage and glomped him something fierce. All the emotion she was feeling and felt from his words made her want to hold onto him and not let go. The crowd had reacted by cheering loudly with the four girls at the front leading the way.

Yagami smiled as he held Lita tightly. He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was love just yet, but he knew that he would be having fun figuring it out. Or at least he hoped. They left the stage as the next couple came up. Then it came to Molly and Melvin. At first it seemed he had screwed up again after tripping on a cord, but when he then just started speaking from hsi heart, causing a number of the audience memebers to cry. When he was finished, the unanimous roar of the crowd announced it. Melvin and Molly had won!

"Well, I guess we didn't win," Lita smiled from where she was sitting, holding Yagami's hand.

"I think we got something better," Yagami grinned.

The announcer went into another cheer as he revealed the huge statue of a heart that symbolised the couple who had won the contest.Melvin and Molly looked to each other with a smile before stepping up to the great sculptue and pressing his hand against it. However, that was when things started going wrong. The sculpture began glowing an intense light before it started to shift and change. Lita and Yagami watched as it began taking a human form. Spectaters besides the girls and Kamemaru ran for their lives. Melvin stood in front of Molly, determined to protect her.

The daimon finished forming, resembling a person who was in a black bodysuit with hearts on her hands, feet, chest, and head. There was also a black star symbol on her left cheek.

"Lita!" Yagami frowned. "You and the others run! I'll get Melvin and Molly!"

"What?!" Lita gasped. "But what about...?"

"I won't stick around to fight it this time," Yagami replied. "I promise."

Lita reluctantly nodded before she went to get to her friends. They had to transform quickly before Melvin, Molly, or her new boyfriend got hurt!

"DIE HEART!" the daimon cried in a melodious voice as it finished changing.

Melvin looked to Molly for a moment before his desire to protect her returned even stronger than before. Die Heart just smiled before she put her hand inside the gold heart on her chest.

"One who's heart thinks only of his love, I shall find a talisman," she whispered before a black bolt of energy fireed from the star on her cheek.

"Molly! Look out!" Melvin cried, pushing his love out of the way. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to dodge it himself and it hit him directly in the chest.

"Melvin!" Molly cried in horror as hearing him cry out in pain.

Yagami was about to interfere when something grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him into the bushes. He looked up to see Kamemaru. He was also with two kids who were a bit younger than him. He instantly recognised them as two of the cometators of the contest.

"Relax," Kamemaru spoke. "Help is on it's way."

Indeed it was, as Die Heart went hovering to the ground while reaching for where Melvin's heart crystal was going to come out. She was halted by the unmistakable cry of "Hold it!"

"To ruin the light of love that someone had finally gotten a hold of," Sailr Moon frowned as she steeped into sight. "Even if the goddess of love forgave you, I would not!"

"Who the HEART are you?" asked Die Heart.

"I am the guardian of love and justice! Sailor Moon!"

"Likewise, Sailor Mars!" Mars announced as she came into view.

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"In the name of the moon," Sailor Moon finished. "We will punish you!"

High above the battle was Kaolinite. She had long decided to get a new vantage point for her incoming victory. This would be the last time that those annoying Sailor Scouts would get in her way. Looking to Die Heart, she knew exactly how to do it.

"Hmm," she smiled. "Little girls should act like the little girls you are." She then snaped her fingers.

Die Heart heard he mistrss' order and put her hand insider her golden heart again, "Let's dance!"

The heart gave off a birght light but the scouts couldn't feel anything wrong with them. They looked forward and all of them instantly fell in love. In front of them were five of the hunkiest men that they had ever seen. Each of the men stepped forward and gently took a scout by the hand.

"Let's dance!' they all cheered.

"Well," Sailor Moon giggled, actually forgetting Darien for a moment. "Only for a minute."

Of course, what the scouts were seeing wasn't necessarily what the othhers who were witnessing the battle. Kamemaru and Yagami grimaced at the sight of the five green skinny monsters that Die Heart had made from apparently no where. What was weird was that the scouts didn't seem to see what they really were and were actually dancing wth them. Yagami frowned while Kamemaru and the two kids began to look worried.

"What's wrong with them Kamemaru?" asked Megumi.

"That daimon must be using a mind trick to make the scouts forget about the battle and just dance themselves into lowering their guards." Kamemaru frowned. "I really think that they are in trouble now."

A series of screams erupted from the girls and now the skinny monsters were now attackng them with electrified tentacles. Apparently, the illlusion was dropped but the monsters were painfully real.

"Now can we help?" asked Yagami.

Kamemaru nodded. "Megumi, Kenji, I need you two to swear that you will never speak of what you are about to see. Do you swear?"

Both children nodded before Kamemaru stood up to join Yagami. They both then rolled op a sleeve to reveal a wrstband made of silver metal.

"STANDBY," a mechanical voice called from both wrstbands before a buzzing sound filled both children's ears. They looked up to see what is was and found a robot beetla and a robot bee flyng towards them. Yagami had taken the beetle while Kamemaru had taken hold of the bee.

"Henshin!" both males called before attatching the insects to their wristbands. The machines then echoed their words, "HENSHIN."

Both Kenji and Megumi gasped in surprise as they saw armor angulf the two males. When the change was complete, Megumi was almost in shock. She recognised the two from th epapers about that fight in the scrap yard. They were the Kamen rider guys that were helping the Sailor Scouts.

"That is so cool!" Megumi squealed quietly.

The two riders dashed out of the brush and twards the battle.

"You take care of the scouts!" Zabee ordered. "I'll handle the daimon!"

"Right!" Hakabuto nodded as he reached to his inzector. "Cast Off!"

Hakabuto flipped thee horn of hiis zector and when it spoke, "CAST OFF!" his armor exploded off his body to reveal his rider form as his horn came to his helmet, "CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE."

He saw that each of the scouts were securely trapped within the tentacles of the monsters. He wasn't sure how much protection their outfits gave them but apparently it was enough for the moment. Knowing he had to work fast, Hakabuto decided to work the fastest way he knew how. He reached to his belt and pressed the btton on the side, "Clock Up!"

"CLOCK UP!" the zector echoed before everything went stll.

Working fast, Hakabuto raced to each of the monsters and punched thm each in the gut and in the face. He knew that they propable wouldn't let go unless something distracted them so he figured pain would work. After that, he set to work on the tentacles. He found that they were very easy to get off. Ity must be beacuse people who touch them get electosuted so no one thought to give them more muscle. When the last scout was free, he started pulling the girls back and out of range of the monsters. He didn't know what after effects of the illusion might be so he didn't want them to be a hinderance rather than a help. Thank Kagami for teaching him this battle stuff.

"CLOCK OVER!" the zector called just as Hakabuto got Sailor Mercury to a safe spot with the others.

"Ahhhhh...huh?" gaped Sailor Moon. "Weren't we being electrocuted a minute ago."

"Hakabuto!" Jupiter gasped as she and the others noticed the gold rider.

"Hi ladies," Hakabuto waved. "We have got to stop meeting like this."

He turned back to thhe mosnters and saw that they were swiftly recovering from the assault. The one in the middle eyed Hakabuto with malice before it charged forward with a hissing growl.Hakabuto just reached to his inzector again before pressing the buttons on the back.

"1..2..3," it ecoed before Hakabuto ulled the horn back to it's origional position.

"Rider Kick!" he ordered as he snapped the horn back again. "RIDER KICK!"

Energy rippled through Hakabuto's body as his eyes glowed and bolts went through his horns. The monster continued on it's charge and Hakabuto tensed in anticipation of attacking. When it got close enough, Hakabuto used a devastating kick that hit it's gut and sent the monster slamming into his comrades. The energy collecting in the first spread to all the others before they all exploded in a haze ofwhite smoke.

"Heh," Hakaubto nodded while he rotated his right shoulder. "Five in one shot. Not bad."

Along with Zabee, things were going as they usually did. Die Heart had fished the heart crystal out of Melvin's body and had a victorious smirk on her face.

"I'd put that back if I were you," Zabee warned, catching her attention.

"Oh?" a new voice asked. "Well it's a good thing we aren't you then."

Zabee looked up and saw a women in a rather distractign red dress hovering a couple inches off the ground. He gauged her and assumed that she had some power behind her plae good looks. She was strong and she knew it.

"Kaolinite I presume?" Zabee asked, remembering the name that the Hoppers had picked up

"You presume correctly," Kaolinite smiled. "Now Die Heart, give this man a pretty dance partner."

Die Heart reached into her golde heart to unleash her spell again, but Zabbe had other ideas. He quickly reached to his zector and flipped it around, "Cast Off."

"CAST OFF!" the zector announced before the thick armor exploded off of his body, leaving Die Heart stunned by the impact while Kaolinite hid bhind her creation as a shield, "CHANGE WASP!"

Kaolinite resumed her hovering position and looked at the new Zabee, "Hmm. Interesting. I had no idea that there was technology that could do this sort of thing. Ah well, it will do you no good. You're about ten years lacking if you want to fight me."

She then snapped her fingers and a thunderbolt of green energy came down, appearing to have blasted Zabee as he vanished in a cloud of dust. Kaolinite smiled in satisfaction before she heard something that sounded like "CLOCK OVER!" before a solid grip wrapped around her throat and brought her to the ground.

"And you are a hundred years too slow to keep up with me," Zabee remarked. "Now, just who are you people? Why do you need these pure hearts?"

"Hmph!' Kaolinite growled. "You can call us the Deathbusters! Out purpose is our own. I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Oh?" Zabee remarked as he squeezed tighter. Kaolinite struggled to breathe. Zabee was hoping to make her crack before something happened to derail his plan.

"Dance!" Die Heart cried, launching her spell at Zabee again.

Zabee saw the spell coming and decided to ake this daimon down once and for all. Gripping Kaolinite, he threw her straight at the daimon. He then reached to his zector to activate it's finishing attack.

"RIDER STING!" the zector called before racing for the daimon.

Once Kaolinite had more oxygen running to her brain, she instantly teleprted herself out of danger. Die Heart was confused for a moment before she saw Zabbe racign at her with his wrst glowing. She couldn't react that quickly and the rider stug was plunged into her stomach. She screamed in agony befor Zabee kept pushing her until she was right where she began as a sculpture. After a moment more of againy, Die Heart eploded into black smoke before revealing the heart sculpture yet again. Zabee was about to turn away when he saw a black seed of some kind fall out of the statue. It rolled to a stop before it shattered and released a black smoke ghost that evaporated. Zabee scooped up the remains before looking back to Melvin and Molly. What he saw were Uranus and Neptune placing the crystal back into Melvin's body.

"You're a little late," Zabee spoke, trying keep his tone neutral. He didn't like the two outers much but he kept his tounge in check. No point in alienating them unless they deserve it.

"I noticed," Uranus sighed. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"We riders show up in the most unusal places," Zabee shrugged before looking to Neptune. "Didn't find what you were looking for?"

"No," Neptune sighed as she stood up. "The talisman isn't here."

"Darn," Uranus frowned."Alright then. I guess we aren't needed here then."

The two scouts then leaped away. Molly was weeping over Melvin so he continued on to the scouts. Hakabuto was wiping his hands while the rest were getting back up. He walked over to Mercury and held out his hand that held the broken seed.

"The statue spit this out after I killed the daimon," Zabee explained. "I think this might be what they use to turn objects into daimon."

"Hey, I've seen that before," Hakabuto spoke up. "Kabuto found one after we beat that tree daimon at that temple."

Mercury took the shattered seed from Zabee while the scouts stepped closer to take a look at it. They wanted to ask more questions but Zabee and Hakabuto had already activated their Clock Up systems and had vanished. Seeing that Molly and Melvin were safe, the scouts decided to make ther own exit.

Later, when everything had calmed down, the spectators had returned to see Molly and Melvin accept their prize of lighting up the giant heart. The girls were in the crowd cheering happily for them. Lita was too, but she contnued to keep a tight grip on Yagami's hand.

"That's two dates that have been crashed by monsters," Yagami sighed. "Is this going to be a trend?"

Lita just laughed at her new boyfriend's laments about monsters and dates.

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Within the dark laboratory of Professer Tomoe, Kaolinite was examining the bruise on her neck which that blasted Kamen Rider had given her.

"How dare he," she growled. "How dare he touch my beautiful skin! I'll make that pathetic rider and all hs friends pay for this humiliation!"

Now all she had to do was try and find a nce way to report her failure to the Professer.

To Be Continued...

A/N: There it is folks.Hope you enjoyed it. I finally got Lita and Yagami together, but this won't be the end of their trials. This was the first step towards a real relationship between them. The scouts now have a clue of their enemes with the seed that Zabee found. Kaolinite is beginning to take this personally and seems ready for vengance for her 'humiliation'. What plans she has we'll just have to wait and see.


	10. Red Shoes Rage

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. They belong to their respective creators and not me. If I did own them then you guys would be watching a television version of this story by now.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 9: Red Shoes Rage

The sun was still high over the Juuban district as many people were heading home for the day before the sun began to set. Of course, in the shopping centre, everyone was treated to the sounds of a stomach growling loudly. This stomach in particular belonged to none other than Serena Tsukino. Walking alongside her was her friend Lita Kino. The two of them were just walking along and chatting as good friends do.

"Ooooh," she whined as she walked with her hands behind her head. "I'm sooo hungry and there's going to be a study session tonight as well."

"It always comes down to your stomach," Lita smiled. "If it makes you feel better then I'll bring some sandwiches to tonight's session."

"Really?!" Serena smiled as she turned to face her friend. "Oh! I'm so lucky! Everyone should have a friend who's such a good cook!"

"Oh it's no big deal, Serena," Lita giggled.

"You know," Serena suddenly grinned devilishly as a thought came to her head. "Speaking of tonights study session, is Kira going to be there?"

"Um," Lita blushed, making herself look slightly like a tomato with brown hair. "He...he did say that he was probably going to be there."

"Oooh," Serena giggled. "I knew it! You two make such a good couple! Didn't we say you would be?"

Lita blushed even harder when the memories of the weeks since the love competition came by. She and Kira had become much closer. They would sit together during lunch and she would lean in next to him and the two would cuddle somewhat. Her friends would tease her somewhat but it was all in good fun. She had even started making extra lunch so that she could feed some of it to him. He had even began bringing more lunch so he could feed some to her. They were taking it slowly, but things were developing noticeably and she loved every minute of it.

"I hope you two can keep your attention on your work and off each other for at least a little while," Serena giggled furiously.

Lita blushed furiously and looked to the ground. Serena noticed the sudden change in her disposition and like any good friend, became slightly concerned, "What's wrong, Lita?"

"I was just...thinking," she replied hesitantly. "Part of the reason I try so hard with my cooking is because I'm such a tomboy. Sometimes I think it's the only real feminine thing about me. I'm a little surprised that Kira would want to be with a girl like me."

"Now don't go saying those things, Lita!" Serena said seriously to her friend. "Even if you weren't such a good cook you are still very feminine! Kira's really lucky to be going out with a girl like you."

Hearing that her friend believed in her like that brought a smile to Lita's face. It was nice to hear that coming from someone, "Really?"

"Really!" Serena nodded. "When I first met you I thought you were a really cute person!"

"You're too much!" Lita giggled. "I guess I'll just have to make you extra tonight."

As the two were walking, they were heading across an intersection. What they didn't seem to notice was the roar on an engine that was coming at a very high speed. When it had gotten close enough Lita was the one to see the motorcycle first. It raced around the corner and didn't seem o be stopping. The rider saw the two girls and gasped loudly before trying to put on the brakes.

"Look out, Serena!" Lita cried as she pushed her blonde friend out of the way.

The brakes on the bike squealed as the rider desperately tried to get the vehicle to stop before someone got hurt. It seemed that the bike wouldn't stop in time but at the very last second in managed to end its ride. Lita even felt the small bits of stone hitting her from the sudden stop. She dared to open her eyes and saw that the bike itself wasn't even a few inches away from hitting them.

"I'm so sorry!" the rider spoke. "Are either of you hurt?"

Lita groaned slightly before she sat up. She looked up to see the rider removing their helmet and found herself gazing at a beautiful blonde person whose eyes were filled with concern. Serena started groaning and rubbed her head before looking up at who had almost hit them.

"Oh!" she gasped in surprise. "Haruka."

Haruka looked to Serena and became even more concerned. She put on the kickstand and almost flew off her bike to inspect the two young women, "Did you hit your head? Does it hurt anywhere else?"

"No, I'm fine," Serena smiled before turning to her friend. "What about you, Lita?"

Lita didn't give much of a reply. She just gazed at Haruka with a starry-eyes look and a small flush on her cheeks. Serena did not like the look she was giving but Haruka didn't seem to notice. Her gaze was aimed at Lita's hand. It was bleeding from the scrape that she got from pushing Serena out of the way.

"I'm sorry," Haruka sighed regretfully. "Your hand is cut."

"Huh?" Lita gasped, snapping out of her daze with a sweat-dropping Serena behind her. "Oh, it's nothing. Really."

"Still, it's my fault that you have it." Haruka sighed as she pulled off a scarf that she had been wearing. "At least let me help patch it up."

"Oh, it isn't much," Lita weakly protested as Haruka took her hand and began wrapping it up. "Really, I barely feel it."

"This is all my fault," Haruka sighed before she looked into Lita's eyes. "I start letting my mind wander and stop paying attention to what is in front of me."

"It...it's alright," Lita spoke in almost a whisper as Serena continued to sweat-drop while watching the unfolding the scene in confusion.

"There," Haruka smiled as she finished tying the makeshift bandage. "You're a good person. Keep looking out for your friends okay?"

Lita nodded slightly. Haruka just smiled before she helped both girls to their feet and walked them to the edge of the street where they couldn't be hit. She then mounted her bike and put on her helmet before facing the girls again.

"Again, I'm really sorry about this," she apologized.

"Oh it's nothing," Serena insisted.

"Alright then," Haruka nodded. "See ya."

With squealing tires, Haruka sped off again. Before she was out of sight though, she made a two fingered wave before she was gone.

"Bye-bye!" Serena waved before she turned back to Lita. "Hey, Lita, thanks for looking out...for ...me?"

Serena had trailed off because she saw Lita staring at where Haruka had gone, her eyes were still starry and she was holding the hand that was wrapped in her scarf. It seemed that Lita's mind had gone out to lunch for the moment.

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Meanwhile, the ever enigmatic Tendou was walking around town looking for clues. These Daimon were very different from the Worms and if he was going to help out, he would try to find the place where the Daimon originated from.

As he continued with his investigation, he began to think about his sister Juka. How was she now? Did she miss he? Was she alone? This made Tendou frown sadly as he continued to walk.

Tendou was a very difficult person to read and added with his arrogant nature did not win him many friends. However, he truly did care about other people as well as the other Riders, but he wasn't going to show it. Thinking of the Riders made him think of the 'New Guy' named Yagami. He had just been a kid in the wrong place and at the wrong time and was flung into this universe with the other Riders by accident. Tendou began to wonder of what would've happened to Yagami if he hadn't become Hakabuto.

This universe was so similar to his own but felt alien to him. There was no Zect (which was a good thing) but there was also no Juka or Hiyori. He missed them both the most out of everyone from his universe.

With a deep sigh, Tendou continued to walk around when he saw what had happened between Haruka, Lita and Serena. He recognized Haruka from the day he had introduced himself and Lita from Yagami's description of her. Yagami seemed to really like Lita and this made Tendou frown thoughtfully. Sooner or later, they would probably return to their own universe and Yagami would be forced to part ways with Lita. Tendou shook his head and focused on his mission. He needed to find out about these Talismans and Daimon. Not to mention their equally mysterious masters known as the Deathbusters.

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Lita just continued to watch Haruka vanish into the distance before Serena's head invaded her view.

"Lita," she spoke calmly. "You shouldn't! Even if she is really attractive, Haruka is still a woman! Besides, you have Kira!"

"What are you saying?" Lita blanched nervously. "Of course it isn't like that! I would never betray my Kira like that!"

Serena just started intently at her tall firend for a moment. It seemed to Lita that she didn't believe her. This was a first since Serena always was so gullible in some ways. Sure Lita couldn't help but gaze at Haruka but she was just so beautiful, it was hard not to. Besides, Haruka was a real tomboy but it didn't seem to bother her a bit. She drove motorcycles and wore mens clothes even in school if what Mina had told her was right. This was someone that Lita could look up to!

After a moment of tensed looks, both girls just erupted into giggles.

"You're right!" Serena laughed. "What AM I thinking? You aren't like that at all!"

Both girls just continued their giggling as they began walking again, finding it funny that either of them was even thinking the thought they had a minute ago.

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Within a luxurious room where a majestic pool lay with crystal clean water, Michelle Kaioh lay on her back, floating in the water. She was perfectly still with her eyes closed. She appeared to be in a kind of deep meditation. Off to the side of the room was a small table that had a bracelet laying on it.

"The three talismans are the key to finding the messiah," Haruka's voice echoed from the bracelet, revealing it to be a communicator. "We know that they are sealed inside three pure hearts. I will make sure that we are the ones to claim them."

"Even if we sacrifice the ones who hold them?" Michelle asked, proving that she was not dead and floating on the water.

"Even if we have to sacrifice them," Haruka replied with conviction.

For world peace?" Michelle asked out loud.

"For world peace," Haruka replied.

There was silence for a moment before Michelle started to speak again, "I have a feeling that the Kamen Riders won't approve of this."

Haruka frowned at the mention of the armored warriors, "We don't need their approval. They are either with us or against us."

Michelle remained quiet for a moment. The Kamen Riders were already seeing her and Haruka as enemies as it was. The hurtful words that the ones called Kabuto and Zabee still echoed in her dreams. Was she forgetting her duties as a Sailor Scouts? Was she becoming no better than the ones they were fighting? She already knew what the Riders were capable of. Her chest hurt for days after the one called Kick Hopper hit her with his attack called Rider Kick. Her mind was in a whirlwind of questions and doubts. She knew she had a duty to save the world but was she doing it the right way or was she just looking for the way that would benefit her and Haruka the most? The Talismans were supposedly powerful. They would be useful in fighting against evil, but at the cost of the human life that held it before her?

Sighing as she left the pool, Michelle made her way to the communicator and tapped it to allow Haruka to continue talking to her. She looked out the window with a depressed look as the sun shone inside.

"The sea is in an uproar, but, it is turning on itself," she sighed.

"Hmm," Haruka replied. "I know. I felt a presence here. It hasn't moved yet though."

Michelle nodded as she left the communicator. She still wanted some time to think. There was still so much more on her mind.

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Yagami whistled as he walked around town, looking at everyone. Even though he was in a different world now, it almost felt like home to him and he should've felt guilty about it. His parents were probably worried sick about him and here he was enjoying himself like there was no trouble at all.

His happiness came fro the fact that he was dating Lita Kino. They had become an official couple and Yagami sighed. It felt perfect. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad at all.

He thought of his life before and compared it to this one. He was a Kamen Rider, something he never dreamed of becoming! He fought to protect the innocent like a hero.

Megumi and her boyfriend had kept their vows of silence but the holder of the Zabee Zecter now had the girl hanging around him, wanting to know more. It looked like Kamemaru had a fan now.

Thinking of fangirls, Yagami shuddered. He still had those nightmares about being chased by crazed fangirls. '_And there is only one girl I want chasing me_,' he thought. '_Lita._' He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize before it was too late that he had bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry." He then saw who it was. "Oh, Tendou, it's you."

"Hello, New Guy," Tendou said with a nod. "Something on your mind?"

'_How does he do that?_' Yagami thought as if Tendou had read his mind. "No, nothing."

Tendou looked at him and said, "Very well then." As they were about to part ways, Tendou said, "Don't get too attached to this world."

"Huh?" Yagami responded in confusion.

"Sooner or later, we will be going back to our world. I would advise you against making any connections while we are here. It makes it less painful when we have to go home."

"Don't you mean if?" Yagami asked and received a steely-eyed stare from Tendou.

"Do what you wish just remember what I said," Tendou said before walking away.

Even after all this time, Tendou was still a mystery to Yagami, but his words made sense and made Yagami frown glumly. Tendou was right. Sooner or later he would have to leave with the other riders and kiss Lita and his new friends goodbye.

Being a Rider sucked sometimes.

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While Haruka was conversing with Michelle and Yagami was meeting with Tendou, Lita and Serena had hooked up with Amy and the three of them were heading towards Rei's house to get through another study session. They were making pleasant conversation when Lita suddenly asked a question.

"Hey, does anyone know where Haruka lives?" she asked.

"Hmm," Serena pondered. "Nope, I've never asked."

"Wait," Amy interrupted. "You mean THAT Haruka? The one we met at the arcade?"

This immediately got Serena suspicious. She leaned in closer to Lita with a suspicious stare, "Lita. Why exactly would you want Haruka's address?"

Lita immediately became a little flustered. "W-well, I just wanted to return her scarf. That's all." She held up the scarf in question for proof. It didn't help her though when an image of Haruka's face flashed through her mind to help cement her blush.

While they ere walking, they didn't notice a red haired woman who was seemingly waiting for a bus. She had a ridiculously revealing red outfit on and her skin was noticeably pale. She obviously didn't get out very often. Another distinguishing feature was that there were some very faded bruises around her neck. Not noticeable by normal means but if you really looked for them then you could see them. They were in the shape of a hand as well. As the girls walked past, this person turned to watch them go, revealing the face of none other than Kaolinite. She had a seductive, but very evil smile on her face as she watched them go.

"Target confirmed," she chuckled to herself before looking up. There above the streets was a Daimon seed that her beloved had released earlier. Now that she had a target, it would only have to follow her and infect something before claiming the prize.

The girls just continued walking while Lita tried to convince Serena that she had a totally innocent reason for wanting Haruka's address. Unfortunately, a sudden gust of wind captured the scarf and began taking it away into the distance. Lita gasped in horror at what just happened.

"On no! Now I don't have an excuse to visit Haruka!" she blurted out before chasing after the piece of cloth.

"Excuse me?" Amy asked as she and Serena watched their friend run away.

Lita continue down her quest to chase down the scarf of her new idol. It seemed like the wind had a life of its own as it continued to carry the piece of cloth away from her. She chased it as far as a parking lot and lost it there. She stood at the entrance, trying to spy where it went.

"Oh, where did it go?" she worried to herself.

Deciding that there was nothing else left to do, she walked to the nearest car and dropped to her hands and knees to see if it had landed underneath one of the cars. After looking under the first one, she immediately spied it under another car.

"Alright!" she smiled brightly.

Lita quickly dashed to the car the scarf was located under and got down again to reach for it. It was in farther than she thought but she had chased the scarf this far and she wasn't about to let it get away now.

"Almost there," she told herself as she tried to reach under the car.

This was a pristine opportunity for the Daimon seed to implant itself into something and it took it. The seed dove from the sky and snuck underneath the car in question. It didn't waste any time in imbedding itself into the scarf and spreading its power into the object in question. Seconds after it had managed to fully plant itself, Lita's hand had clasped around the corner.

"Got it!" Lita cheered, but soon something felt odd. It felt like the cloth had wrapped around her hand in another hand's grip. Daring to take a look, Lita soon found herself staring into the face of a fanged mask with brown hair which had a body wrapped in a dark blue cloak.

"SCAR," the creature moaned deeply.

"Waargh!" Lita cried in fear as she shook the hand off and backed against a wall. "W-w-w-what is this?!"

"SCAR," the Daimon moaned as it dragged itself out from under the car and stood up. "I will have your pure heart! SCAR!"

While this was happening, Serena and Amy finally caught up with Lita only to see her being cornered by the Daimon.

"Lita!" Serena cried before she attempted to run to her friend before she was pushed gently to the side by Amy.

"We have to transform!" Amy said urgently before the two of them went to a more private place to change.

In an odd twist of fate, the second the two girls were out of sight, Yagami had raced around the corner, hearing the scream. He came to a stop when he saw Lita being cornered by the new Daimon.

"LITA!" he shouted, catching the scared girl's attention.

"K-Kira?" she stuttered out, noticing him.

"SCAR!" the Daimon hissed before an eruption of red ribbons flew from the folds of its cloak straight at the girl in question.

Kira didn't even hesitate as he dashed forward into the mess of a battle. He clasped Lita's shoulders as he reached her and shoved her out of the way. He didn't have time to move before he found himself wrapped up tightly in the red ribbons. His arm was pinned so there was no way that his Zector could reach him and let him transform to Hakabuto.

"KIRA!" Lita shrieked, her fear now growing to an even higher level. She didn't want to lose her new boyfriend just when she found him.

"_Shine Aqua Illusion!_" a new female voice cried before flowing water seemed to come out of nowhere and freeze the ribbons covering Yagami. It was easy for the boy inside to shatter them, releasing himself.

"SCAR?!" the Daimon cried in surprise, looking to the source of the ice magic.

"How dare you attack this couple!" came the angry voice of one enraged Sailor Moon as she stood at the entrance to the parking lot with Sailor Mercury right behind her. "Get away from them now!"

Scar flinched, not knowing what to do. Behind her though in an alley that hid her from view, Kaolinite watched with a frown on her face.

"Damn," she hissed. "Interrupted already. Of all the luck! Scar! Retreat!"

Scar released a maniacal chuckle before leaping straight up and over Sailor Moon and Mercury. A pair of feminine legs were revealed, showing her gender, before she landed on the ground and began running. She was fast so it seemed that she would get away. At least until...

"CLOCK OVER!"

She was clothes-lined from out of nowhere by Kabuto in his Rider Form as he came out of his Clock Up speed. Scar was sent for a loop before she slammed onto the ground. Kabuto looked down at the Daimon before she hissed at him and got to her feet again. She looked ready to charge at him as he prepared himself.

"1,2,3," the Beetle Zector announced as he prepared to strike. "RIDER KICK!"

Scar chuckled again as she launched herself at Kabuto with blinding speed. Kabuto didn't even flinch as he unleashed his attack that struck the midsection of the Daimon. The attack struck home but he didn't feel any sort of impact. Looking at what he hit, he only saw Scar's cloak fall to the ground. She was gone, only her chuckling could be heard and that was quickly vanishing too.

"Clever," Kabuto admitted before he hit his Clock Up button again and vanished.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury watched in awe as Kabuto vanished. Of course, their attention was turned away from them as they heard their friends talking again. They both turned to see Lita holding Yagami in a very tight embrace. She didn't seem to want to let him go at the moment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she cooed into his ear as she held him close.

"Just a little cold," Yagami admitted while he kept his arms wrapped around his girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine, thanks to you," Lita smiled.

"Awww," Sailor Moon giggled.

From up above, two people didn't quite agree with that. Well, one in particular didn't. Uranus and Neptune watched from a high building. Uranus didn't look especially happy with the result.

"I couldn't even sense if she had a talisman or not," Uranus frowned. "Sailor Moon did something very foolish."

"Can't we just explain to them the situation?" asked Neptune. "Then we can fight together."

"Do you really think that those girls can even sacrifice one life let alone three?" argued Uranus. "No, they're too optimistic for that. They'd only get in our way. No, we have to do this on our own."

Neptune frowned slightly. She was starting to dislike it when Uranus started talking about their mission. She was absolutely determined to see it through no matter what the cost. Neptune was about to say something when someone else had started speaking again.

"Again we find ourselves in this situation," spoke a very familiar voice.

Uranus and Neptune turned around to see Kabuto leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. His blue visor was turned towards them. One could tell by his body posture that he was ready to fight, but didn't consider them a threat.

"You again," Uranus growled with her hands clenching into fists.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" Neptune asked, not wanting to start needless conflict.

"I see before me less proof that you two are in fact Sailor Scouts," he spoke. "Sacrificing lives for your own purpose seems to be something that these...Deathbusters would do."

Neptune flinched again as Kabuto's words cut into her resolve, but Uranus just started getting angry again. One could say that she was going into denial about what she was hearing from the Riders.

"Don't you dare compare us to them!" she shouted. "What we do is for the greater good!"

"What greater good is that I wonder?" Kabuto remarked mystically. "Your personal one or for the actual future?"

"You haven't seen the future we've been shown," Uranus growled.

"Perhaps," Kabuto nodded. "But I do know this; the paths to the future are numerous as well as various. Where you saw one path end and another pass by, yet another may overcome both thsoe paths."

Kabuto had purposely left out mentioning his grandmother. He knew that if his guess was right, then these two had heard him say it before. He couldn't risk these two finding out just who he was, yet. If he was to reveal himself then it would be when he had no option left or these two were not considered a threat.

While Uranus was trying hard not to pound Kabuto like, in her mind, he so richly deserved to be, Neptune was thinking about what he had said. The future she had seen was indeed one path which had ended. What they were doing now was travel a path that passed it. What Kabuto had said was that there was always another path that surpassed the one you were on. Was there another way? Could there be another way?

Kabuto watched both Sailor Scouts with a critical eye behind his visor. While it seemed that Uranus was set in her resolve, it appeared to be that Neptune was beginning to see things differently. Perhaps in time, she could be called an ally. For now though, he had other things to do.

"I'll leave you now," Kabuto spoke as he stood straight. "There is a Daimon to hunt down."

With that, Kabuto hit his Clock Up button and vanished again. He left behind a seething Uranus and a contemplating Neptune.

"Damn that bug!" Uranus snapped angrily.

"Maybe he's right, though," Neptune said under her breath but Uranus had heard her.

"WHAT!?" Uranus exclaimed, feeling shocked and betrayed slightly. "You agree with him!?"

Neptune flinched. She hated it when her companion was angry. She spoke calmly, "No, it's just there is some truth in what he said, that's all." Uranus looked at Neptune before she turned away and disappeared in a great leap away. "Uranus! Wait!" Neptune called out to her. But, her beloved partner was gone. '_Oh, Haruka,_' she thought. '_Why do you have to be so stubborn?_' She then leapt away to find someplace to change back. As she walked home, dejectedly, she almost bumped into someone.

"Miss, are you alright?" he asked. Michelle looked up to see the face of Daisuke Kazama. There were fresh tears in her eyes.

"I'm…fine," she said to him, sniffling.

"No, you are not," he said. "A beautiful face should not be marred by tears." He pulled out a napkin and held it out to her. "Here." Michelle hesitantly took the napkin and wiped her eyes before she realized that she had seen this man before.

"Wait, you were at that concert!" she spoke in realization.

"Guilty as charged," Daisuke said with a laugh. "And you are Michelle Kaioh, I presume." She nodded. "Did something happen to make you cry like that, Miss Kaioh."

Michelle looked over her shoulder and sighed sadly. She said, "Let's just say that I said something to someone that they didn't agree with."

Daisuke nodded in understanding. "Well, I hope you and this other person can patch things up. I hate to see you crying again."

"Thank you, Mr. Kazama."

"Please, call me Daisuke. All my friends do."

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It was a new day and school was letting out yet again. The Deathbusters hadn't made a move since yesterday when that one tried to steal Lita's heart. It hadn't been seen since but the Scouts were still on their guard...for the most part.

"Liiiitaaaa!" Serena called as she opened the door to Lita's classroom. "Let's walk home together!"

One of the girls in the room looked up from her backpack and replied to Serena's announcement, "Oh, Lita already left. She's being walked home by her boyfriend."

The girls in the room giggled at hearing this. Serena just sweat-dropped. She had been ditched by her own friend. Lita had a pretty good reason though; an opportunity to be alone with her boyfriend was too good to pass up. Serena knew that she took every chance she could to be alone with Darien. He was just so nice to be around. Lita had mentioned that it was like that with her and Kira sometimes, but it was also different too. Serena just found herself wondering where the two lovebirds had gotten to.

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"Are you sure it ended up around here?" Yagami asked as he and Lita spent their time searching around the parking lot from yesterday.

"I'm sure of it," Lita sighed as she stood up from looking underneath yet another car.

Yagami shook his head as he went to look under another car. Normally, a guy would have been jealous to find that his girlfriend acting shy around someone else. He would have become especially worried if his girlfriend was acting that way around another woman, but Yagami liked to think he wasn't one who jumped to conclusions. Lita had retold her tale from yesterday and explained why she wanted that scarf back so badly. It was plain to see that Lita had a case of hero worship on the brain. Not a crush that Serena had been accusing her of.

"Liiitaaa! Kiiiiirrraaa!"

Speak of the devil.

Serena came running around the corner and stopped right in front of the entrance to the parking lot. She took a moment to catch her breath before looking at her two friends with a strange eye.

"Lita, what are you and Kira doing out here?" she asked. "You two should be out doing lovey-dovey things!"

"We're looking for Haruka's scarf," Yagami replied as he stood up.

"Hah?!" Serena gaped. "Lita I told you about this yesterday! Now you're dragging poor Kira into this too?"

"It really is nothing," Lita insisted. "Honest."

"Yeah," Kira smiled as he stood up. "Lita-chan here just wants to meet her new idol again."

Serena grinned when Kira called her friend 'Lita-chan', but then realized what Kira had said. "Idol?" Serena asked with a little confusion. Lita just started blushing hard. "Oooooooh! Is that what this is about? Oh, Lita, why didn't you just say so?"

"Um...well, I," Lita tried to get out before there was an interruption.

The sound of a horn honking caught everyone's attention as they saw a bright yellow sports car pull up to the side. Inside were the beautiful duo of Haruka and Michelle. Lita blanched slightly as Serena just gaped. Yagami just smiled and waved like any friend would.

"Hi there," Haruka waved to Lita. "I was hoping to bump into you again. I wanted to know if you felt like taking a drive with us."

"M-me?" Lita gasped in surprise. "S-sure!"

"Wait!" Serena cried as she stepped in front of her friend. "What about Kira! thought you and him were going to hang out today!"

"Oh!" Michelle smiled. "So you managed to snag Lita here did you, Kira? Congratulations."

"Thanks," Yagami blushed as both older girls made approving glances. Sometimes those two acted like older sisters rather than new friends.

"Well then," Haruka smiled. "If this is a couple thing then you'll have to join us, New Guy."

Shrugging, Kira walked towards the car before hopping in beside the excited Lita. Haruka gave a small wave to Serena before the car took off like a shot. Serena was just standing there in the dust with a sweat-drop on her face.

"Well, at least they're doing things together," she mentioned to herself.

In the car, Lita was leaning against Yagami and the Hercules Beetle Rider smiled down at the girl next to him. She was just so adorable. Michelle looked at them from the rearview mirror and frowned sadly.

'_I know the mission is important, but must we sacrifice someone's life for it? Look at her. She's so happy with someone right now. If we were to take the Talisman from her, her life would end and another would be ruined. I know that we can't risk the fate of the world, but…_' Michelle took a side-glance at Haruka. They had just patched things up after their little argument but she knew her beloved was still thinking about the mission and doing everything and anything to accomplish it.

Haruka's mind was also on the mission. Lita would most probably have a Talisman in her and it was Haruka's responsibility to secure it. She had yelled at Michelle for agreeing with Kabuto and her anger began to rise at the thought of the Beetle Rider. '_One day, Kabuto, you and the other Riders are gonna get yours for getting in our way._' Her anger was also directed towards the Hoppers since they were the first of the Riders to directly attack them. Haruka was going to, pun unintended, squash all the Riders like the bugs they looked like if they got in their way again.

The sleek sports car ripped through the traffic like a shark through water. Haruka and Michelle sat in the front with their passengers in the back. Yagami noticed that their hosts weren't talking to each other a whole lot. Maybe they had a spat or Haruka had to concentrate on driving. He wasn't sure what reason it was. Michelle was also frowning for a moment but it had vanished rather quickly. Yagami decided not to spend anymore thought on that matter. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the ride and having Lita with him for a moment of peace at long last.

"I don't think you've met Michelle, have you?" Haruka asked Lita while she drove. "She's in the same grade as me."

"We've seen each other before but we haven't been properly introduced have we?" Michelle smiled as she looked back at the couple.

"N…no," Lita admitted shyly before changing the subject. "Wait, if you two are in the same grade then just how old are you?"

"Well, we're both in the tenth grade," Michellle answered.

"The tenth grade?" Lita gasped as Yagami blinked in surprise. "Are you sure it's okay for you to drive a car then?"

"I'm not sure," Michelle pondered as she turned to Haruka. "Is it?"

'Well…I did get my license overseas," Haruka replied uncertainly.

"Why does that not convince me?" Yagami asked with a slight smile on his face.

Haruka frowned slightly at him from her rearview mirror while Michelle giggled. Lita found it a little amusing to too, but she tried to keep her giggles quiet. She was just so shy right now and she didn't know why. Maybe it was the affection she was showing and receiving from Kira or maybe it was because she was with Haruka at the moment. Finally, her curiosity getting the better of her, Lita decided to ask another question.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Haruka?" she spoke, Turning her head on Kira's shoulder.

"Well," Haruka began. "I just thought that we could get to be better friends."

"Really?" Lita gasped in surprise.

"Sure," Haruka shrugged. "I mean, you're dating our friend Kira and you're friends with Bun-head. Why not?"

Lita just thought she felt her heart stop at the moment.

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"WHAT?!" Raye, Amy, and Mina cried at once. "A DOUBLE DATE!"

"Uh…y-yeah," Serena sputtered. "They were with Haruka and Michelle."

"Oh, this is a problem," Amy spoke with worry.

"Yeah," Mina agreed. "Not only does she get to hang out with those two, but she gets to do it with her cute boyfriend and leave us all alone."

"That's not what I meant," Amy tried to speak up.

"I actually thought that Lita was serious about studying!" Raye frowned. "What's her game?"

"I didn't mean that either!" Amy sputtered.

"Oooh?" Serena giggled as she pulled out a trashy romance novel that Raye had apparently been reading. "It seems you know what she may be trying to do!"

"Ack!" Raye blushed crimson before taking the book and hitting Serena over the head with it. "Can't you respect other people's privacy!? Don't go through my things!"

"That's not the problem!" Amy cried as she slammed her fists on the table, her patience at an end. The room was quiet as the other three girls stared in shock at the blue haired girl who had turned an interesting shade of red when she realized what she had done. "I-I mean that Lita is the new target this time, right? Shouldn't we be keeping an eye on her?"

"Uh...yeah," the other girls nodded, not wanting to entice her wrath any further than they had.

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The two couples had driven down to the docks where they were enjoying some time to themselves. Haruka and Michelle were looking out over the water while Lita smiled as Yagami had his arm wrapped around her and was holding her hand. Her friends had called earlier on the communicator. Lucky for her she was far enough away from Haruka and Michelle while Yagami was setting their things in the car. They were concerned for her safety since the enemy was after her but she was confident that she could beat them. Leaning onto Yagami she contemplated how lucky she was.

'_I've never really had a boyfriend before,_' she thought giddily to herself. '_This is the first time that this sort of thing has happened for me. I used to be so envious of Serena and Darien and now that I have something like they have, I don't ever want to lose it._'

Taking a glance towards Haruka and Michelle she continued her thoughts, '_I know what I'm feeling for Kira is genuine, no argument. I also know that Haruka is extremely attractive, but I just can't help but look up to a woman like her. At least I know I'm not like THAT. Not that there's anything wrong with that._'

Haruka looked over to the couple and smiled to see the adorable sight, but that look turned to one of horror as she stood up, "Lita! Kira!"

"SCAR!" came a rumbling voice from behind the couple.

Both of them turned around to stare into the masked face of the Daimon from yesterday. This time she was without her cloak, however. She was wearing a tight red dress that showed off her figure quite nicely. She wore red sleeves and a large bow was on her back. Her skin was also a pale violet. Kira was about to leap at her but she used its superior speed again and backhanded him to the ground. His head was spinning from the blow and he wasn't getting up.

"KIRA!" The three young women shouted, although one was in terrified concern.

"Now," Scar chuckled. "You who looks up to the ideal woman and loves unconditionally, I shall take your pure-ack!"

Her speech was cut off as a rock thrown by Haruka impacted against her face. It had knocked off the mask she had been wearing to reveal a head of green hair and pointed pink ears.

"You monster! Let my friend go!" Haruka growled.

Scar made a growl of her own while revealing her admittedly cute face, "You shouldn't throw rocks!"

Scar's voice was noticeably higher now, but that thought was tossed aside as she pointed her hand out and a stream of ribbon fired out and hit Haruka and Michelle, throwing the two of them into the bushes.

"Haruka, Michelle!" Lita gasped before turning towards Scar again.

Up on a docked ship nearby, Kaolinite watched with mirth and satisfaction, "Now all obstacles have been removed. Scar! Take her heart!"

"SCAR!" the Daimon smirked as she opened a slit on her dress to reveal a black star. Lita didn't even have time to move before a black beam of energy fired out of it and made impact against her chest.

"Aaaaaagh!" She screamed in pain.

Hearing his girlfriend cry out in pain, Yagami quickly regained his senses before looking to see the source. He watched in horror as the fragile crystal that was Lita's heart appeared in front of her chest.

"LITA!" Yagami cried out in horror.

From her position, Kaolinite smirked as she heard the boy cry out. It was a shame that she was in the wrong position to see him properly. The look on his face would have been priceless.

Lita's eyes turned dull as she seemed to stop struggling before falling to the ground. Her eyes just continued to stare out emptily into space. This was all Yagami could take. His horror was quickly turning to rage as his gaze turned to the Daimon which was admiring the heart crystal she had acquired. Yagami never felt as much hate as he did towards that Daimon at the moment. He wanted to make that thing pay for what she did to _his_ Lita.

"STANDBY!"

The Hakabuto Zector buzzed through the trees before Yagami caught it like an expert.

"You damn monster..." he growled. He didn't care who saw him right now. All he wanted to do was make sure that the Daimon in front of him never saw another day of life. "Henshin!" he called as he snapped his Zector onto his bracelet.

"HENSHIN!" the Zector echoed before beginning the transformation. Yagami didn't even wait for it to finish as he began running towards the Daimon with his armor still in the process of covering him. Scar had finally noticed him when he had gotten close enough while his transformation was finally finished. She didn't even have time to react as Hakabuto's fist came plowing into her face. Scar screeched in pain as she was sent several feet away. Lita's heart crystal fell free from her hands before it started hovering over her body again.

Hakabuto was breathing heavily. For some reason, something in his mind was telling him to keep fighting. There was an opponent that needed to be defeated. He still had more fighting to do. That suited him just fine. He wanted to make this Daimon hurt. As he started making his way slowly towards the fallen Scar, his mind became clear of everything except his desire to destroy this Daimon.

What Hakabuto didn't know, and had no way of knowing was that Lita was still very much conscious. She could see everything that was happening in front of her. She had even witnessed her own boyfriend change into the golden Rider that had saved her and her friends at the love contest. She could barely believe what she was seeing. She was even questioning if what she was seeing was real.

"CAST OFF! CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!" the Zector called and Hakabuto's Masked Form armor exploded off him as he went into his Rider Form. Scar had recovered from the punch and seemed ready to attack this time. The ribbons on her arms had loosened somewhat and were about the length of swords. No doubt the edges would be just as sharp. Hakabuto didn't care though. He just reached to his Zector and began pressing the buttons. "1, 2, 3," it called before he reset the horns and pulled them back again, "RIDER KICK!"

"SCAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Scar screamed as she raced towards her opponent, intent on carving him up like a roast. She had no reason to think that Hakabuto could beat her.

"HIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Hakabuto roared as he planted a powerful forward kick straight into Scar's chest. Scar's movement had stopped altogether. Her eye became dull for a moment before her body erupted in black smoke and a violet scarf fell to the ground. Hakabuto watched in satisfaction as the Daimon Seed came out of the cloth and broke, releasing the black ghost that vanished into the night air.

Kaolinite was slightly taken back by the brutal intensity that Hakabuto had shown tonight. This was not the same Rider that she had witnessed fighting during her last attempt. The brutality this Hakabuto had shown was unnerving. He had destroyed Scar in two blows and he still looked ready for more action. Again, it was slightly unnerving.

Hakabuto felt satisfaction at defeating his opponent. He turned back to see if Lita was okay but what he saw was Uranus and Neptune near her body and holding her heart crystal.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" he roared as he charged at the two Outers. He landed a solid punch on Uranus and kicked Neptune back. The heart crystal tumbled from their hands and Hakabuto reached for it when...

"_Uranus World Shaking!_"

He was barely able to avoid the sphere of yellow energy while keeping the crystal safe. It was by pure luck that it hadn't hit Lita. Holding the crystal closely to his body, Hakabuto stared at Uranus with a look of undiluted hatred. She kept her reserve, but Uranus was starting to feel a little nervous. She had never felt this kind of hatred being pointed at her before.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hakabuto roared as he charged at Uranus and began punching at her wildly with only one arm. He punched, jabbed, and swung wildly in his attempts to smash her. Even in his enraged state though, Uranus was still too quick for him to hit. She was an experience fighter after all. Neptune on the other hand watched the battle with growing concern for Uranus. The Hakabuto she had met on the rooftops when they fought that vacuum Daimon seemed like a rather nice person but this one was showing to be almost driven by rage and hatred.

'_He's not himself,_' she thought before it dawned on her. '_Something's wrong with him!_'

Uranus continued to dodge the assaults that Hakabuto. She very much wanted to just give this Rider what he deserved for getting in her way but as long as he was holding the crystal then she couldn't fight back in fear of breaking it.

'_Just what is up with this guy?_' she asked herself. '_He's acting almost like a wild animal!_'

Her thoughts were cut short, however, when Hakabuto caught her by surprise with a kick to her midsection. She grunted in pain before Hakabuto then placed a punch on her chest and put her to the ground gasping for air. She felt as if her ribs were almost cracked.

"RAAAAAAAAAGH!" Hakabuto roared as he searched for someone or something else to fight. He had to keep fighting! There were enemies all around! Threats! He had to destroy them all!

His gaze landed on Neptune and he didn't even hesitate. He started walking towards her. Uranus tried to grab his legs or something but the pain she was feeling was a huge occupying force in her mind at the moment and he managed to shrug her off. Neptune was slightly stunned by how easily he had put Uranus down with his rage and was scared that he was now coming for her.

"CLOCK OVER!"

Hakabuto's march was suddenly stopped when Kabuto appeared in his Rider Form and put him to the ground with a single punch. Gatack was behind him too. The heart crystal flew through the air until it fell into Gatack's hands. The red Rider glanced at the crystal for a moment while Hakabuto nursed his wound for the moment. He then turned his gaze to Neptune.

"This heart does not have what you want," he spoke. "Go with Gatack and return it. I'll deal with Hakabuto."

"Just make sure that Uranus doesn't get even more hurt," Neptune requested.

Kabuto nodded as Neptune and the blue Rider went to return the heart crystal. He just watched as Hakabuto returned to his feet, breathing heavily and almost growling like an animal.

"Red Shoes System," Kabuto muttered darkly to himself. "Why did they make another one?"

Hakabuto stared at Kabuto with hatred and anger. He could no longer differentiate between friend and foe. He gripped his fists and charged at Kabuto and began swinging wildly. Kabuto knew all too well what was happening. The Red Shoes System, when activated, would force the Rider to fight without any qualms and even drove the Rider insane with the thirst for battle. However, it was a double-edged sword for it also exhausted the Rider. Kabuto had to stop Hakabuto before the young boy hurt himself or anyone else. Kabuto ducked, side-stepped, dodged and rolled out of the way of Hakabuto's strikes.

Hakabuto and Kabuto eyed each other warily. Kabuto knew that Hakabuto would not stop in his battle rage but he also knew that he would eventually get tired. The problem was that the longer the Red Shoes System was put into effect, the more likely some serious harm could come to the person trapped within it. Kabuto didn't want to waste any time. He quickly reached to his Zector and began to press the buttons to activate his finishing system. Unfortunately, Hakabuto seemed to get the same idea as he reached for his.

"1, 2, 3," the two beetle Zectors spoke as their owners hit the buttons. Both Riders then grabbed the horns of their Zectors and reset them before pulling them again. "RIDER KICK!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Hakabuto roared as he ran forward to try and take down Kabuto. Kabuto just calmly began his run towards his younger ally turned opponent.

Hakabuto, when he reached Kabuto, swung his foot out to try and catch Kabuto by the head. What happened next seemed almost like a scene out of the matrix. Kabuto leaned backwards just far enough to avoid the kick before he stood straight up again and launched a forward kick into Hakabuto's chest. The impact sent the gold Rider flying back several feet until he rolled to a stop on the ground facing up. The Hakabuto Zector then detached itself from Yagami and he changed back to normal. Gatack arrived soon after and saw the scene. Uranus was noticeably missing. She probably retreated when Kabuto and Hakabuto were fighting.

"Was that really necessary?" Gatack asked regarding Yagami. Kabuto nodded silently.

"Where's Neptune?" Kabuto asked.

"After we gave the girl her heart back she just vanished."

"And the girl?"

"She's fine and she's coming over now. How's Yagami?"

"Exhausted, but he'll be okay."

"KIRA!" both Riders heard a yell and Lita ran past them towards the unconscious Kira. She kneeled down and picked him up before placing his head on her lap. "Kira! Kira! Can you hear me!?" She was panicking.

"Li…ta…?" Yagami spoke slowly as he opened his eyes. "You're…alright…" He smiled slightly.

"You idiot," she said as tears began to fall. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Before Kira could answer, he once again fell unconscious.

"Kira!" She shook him. "Kira!"

Kabuto and Gatack watched but then Lita called towards them. "HOLD IT!" she shouted. They didn't move and she said to them, "How did Kira become a Rider, what happened to him and just who are you two, really?"

Kabuto wordlessly activated Clock Up and vanished while Gatack went to check up on Kira who was sleeping. "He'll be okay. It could've been worse. Trust me. I know from experience."

Lita looked down at her sleeping boyfriend. She stroked his face. He had a secret. Now she knew what it was. Should she tell him hers?

"CLOCK UP!"

Gatack vanished, leaving the two alone.

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While Lita was considering the impact of what she had found out, Haruka and Michelle were driving away from the scene. The blonde was clutching the wheel tightly as she gritted her teeth from the pain.

"Dammit," She growled. "Just what the hell are was wrong with him? He just went berserk on us!"

"Haruka, we need to get you to the hospital," Michelle frowned in worry. "We don't know if you have cracked ribs or not."

"I'm fine!" Haruka insisted. "I've had cracked ribs and these pains don't come close."

"If you're sure," Michelle relented. Haruka would know about receiving serious injuries like broken bones. Her lifestyle was littered with them.

Haruka just nodded as she swallowed the pain. Now she was even more determined to squash the Riders. Lita's heart didn't have a talisman but she still felt a little guilty about leaving her and Kira behind. For all the things she hated about the Riders though, she had to admit that the red and blue ones were decent people. They would make sure that those kids would be okay. Right now Haruka had to get something for the pain that monster Hakabuto had inflicted on her...and maybe some bedside healing from Michelle if she was lucky.

Michelle then realized something. Where had Kira gone to when the Daimon attacked? There was no way that he would run away and leave Lita. The only conclusion that she could make was…wait a minute.

She suddenly remembered Yagami's words when they had first met, _"So long as I break the chains called destiny and really forge my own path then I'll be happy with that."_

And then the words of Hakabuto, _"Breaking the chains of destiny to forge my own fate. Kamen Rider Hakabuto!"_

'_Breaking the chains of destiny to forge my own path…wait a minute!'_ She let out a small gasp.

"What is it, Michelle?" Haruka asked her in concern. Michelle gave her a smile.

"It's nothing, Haruka," she said. '_Sorry if I have to lie to you about this, but I just hope I'm wrong!_'

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Lita just sat on the ground with her boyfriend's head on her lap for the longest time. She was just so confused and to be honest, a little scared. Her boyfriend was secretly the gold Kamen Rider Hakabuto. It was a real surprise and Lita guessed that a part of her was giggling like mad. She was dating a hero! The more practical parts of her mind had more questions though. How did this happen? How long had he been doing this? Did he know the other Riders? Why did he go berserk like that? The questions went on but there were two that weighed more heavily on her mind than the others. Should she tell him her secret and should she tell her friends?

"Lita!" soemone called from the distance.

Lita turned her gaze and saw her friends running up to her in their Sailor Scout forms. Each of them had concerned looks on their faces for their friend. It got even more pronounced when they finally noticed Kira's position. They might have teased her for it in any other situation but from the way Kira seemed to be out cold and the tear streaks on Lita's face, they could tell that something bad had happened before.

"Lita, where's the Daimon?" asked Mars seriously.

"It's gone," Lita croaked, her vice a little strained from crying. "Hakabuto destroyed it."

"He did?" asked Venus. "But...what happened to Kira?"

"He...he was the one who destroyed it," Lita replied deciding to just let it out before something stopped her.

"But didn't you just say...oh my!" Mercury gasped in surprise. "_He's_ Hakabuto?"

"WHAAAAAAT?!" Sailor Moon gasped. "No way!"

"Shhhhh!" Lita snapped. "Kira's exhausted right now!"

"But what happened to him?" asked Mars.

"I don't know," Lita admitted sadly, tears returning to her eyes. "After my heart got stolen he just started going berserk. First he destroyed that Daimon and then he went nuts on Uranus and Neptune. It was kind of scary and then Kabuto and Gatack showed up. Kabuto even fought him and used that Rider Kick of his on him!"

Lita just broke out into more tears. Seeing that move used on her boyfriend was absolutely terrifying. It could kill a Daimon in one hit. She wasn't sure how Yagami had survived it but she thanked the gods that he did. The other Scouts just watched in sadness when they heard what had happened.

"I'm sorry I scared you," a tired voice croaked from Lita's lap.

Lita and the Scouts all looked down to see that Kira had woken up again. His eyes were slightly opened but you could still tell that he was conscious. Lita's sobs just started to increase when she saw that he was still alive.

"You dummy!" she sobbed. "I wasn't scared of you! I was scared of what was happening to you! Why didn't you tell me you were a Kamen Rider?"

"Probably the same reason you didn't tell me you were a Sailor Scout," Kira groaned.

"What!?" Lita gasped. "H-how?"

"I heard you talking to them just now," he replied. "Since there's one missing, can I assume that you're Sailor Jupiter?"

Lita nodded as more tears came to the corners of her eyes. Now would be the acid test to their relationship. Would he break up with her for keeping secrets or would he stay with her?

To Be Continued...

A/N: There you have it folks. the next chapter is up and running for all to see. I want to thank ZK Chromedragozoid for beta reading this and dealing with the duties that come with it. Well, now the Scouts know that Yagami is Hakabuto and a pivitol point in his and Lita's relationship is reached. Will they survive or is their relationship doomed?


	11. The Blues

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to ther respective creators and not me. Anyone else who thinks otherwise is giving me too much credit and needs their head examined.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 10: The Blues

The streets were peaceful and quiet over Juuban. The moon was out and the stars were shining brightly were the city lights weren't hiding them from view. It was the perfect setting for young lovers to just walk in the cool night air and enjoy what they found with each other.

However, this was not the average couple and they were far from alone.

Walking slowly down the streets, Yagami was being led by his friends back to Raye's temple for the night. He was utterly exhausted and practically dead on his feet. Helping him stand were Raye and Lita who were holding him up by his shoulders. At his sides were Amy, Mina, and Serena who watched in concern for their friend.

The situation was this: Lita and Yagami had gone out on a double date with Michelle and Haruka to the docks. While they were there, a Daimon had attacked and managed to bat Yagami, Haruka, and Michelle away like flies. From there it went and stole Lita's heart from her body. Naturally, this caused Yagami to flip seeing as Lita was his girlfriend. He quickly transformed and in his rage, destroyed the Daimon easily. Unfortunately, Lita had seen him transform into Hakabuto and now knew his secret identity. Even more unfortunate for the two Outers Uranus and Neptune, he spied them holding Lita's heart crystal in attempts at seeing if it was a talisman or not. The resulting emotional outburst was sufficient enough to activate something called the Red Shoes System which turned the Riders who had it to become berserkers who wouldn't stop fighting until they dropped down or were put down. After dispatching Uranus, Hakabuto was going to turn on Neptune before Kabuto intervened and stopped him. One Rider Kick later and Yagami was freed from the system since his armor shut down. Lita was immediately at his side as the Riders left her. Soon Serena and the others had come to rescue her only to discover the same thing that Lita had. Of course, while they were talking, Yagami had regained consciousness and figured out that Lita and the girls were none other than the Sailor Scouts.

This led to now. The girls had changed back to normal and were helping Yagami towards Raye's house so that he could rest. Along the way, the girls had decided to get some answers to all things Rider related.

"So...Kira," Raye spoke uncertainly. "Just how long have you been a Rider anyway?"

"Ugh," Yagami groaned. "Well, remember when me, Gatack, and Kabuto rescued you? That was my first day and only my second time in the armor."

"You're kidding," Raye sweat-dropped only to see Yagami shaking his head.

"Eh he he he," Mina laughed nervously. "Speaking of that day, sorry about blasting you like I did."

"Don't worry about it," Yagami snickered before looking to Lita. "You know, that was the first time you held my hand. I'm happy that I'm able to hold yours so tenderly now."

Lita's blush was bright enough to be a spotlight. Mina and Serena just broke out into mischievous giggles. Amy had been quiet for the most part since they started moving but now she decided that she should ask her own question, "Kira, how does the Rider technology work?"

"I have no freaking clue, Amy," Yagami replied to the now disappointed girl. "All I know that it is sentient on a certain level."

"Sentient?" Amy gasped. "You mean like A.I.?"

"Huh?" Serena pondered. "You mean that foreign movie with that cute kid who was a robot?"

"No, you meatball head!" Raye snapped. "She means artificial intelligence! A thinking machine!"

"Wow!" Mina gasped. "That's so cool!"

"I suppose it is," Yagami agreed. "But it also means that I didn't choose to be Hakabuto. Hakabuto chose me."

"But how did you become a Rider anyway?" asked Serena.

"Lucky, I guess," Yagami shrugged.

"Lucky?" asked Mina.

"Yeah, bad luck!" Yagami frowned. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and next thing I know I'm covered in gold armor modeled after a Hercules beetle and I find that I can fight monsters."

"Yeesh," Raye frowned. "Just how did that happen?"

"It's a long story," Yagami sighed.

"Well it's a long way still to Raye's house," Mina smiled. "You might as well tell us."

Yagami realized that she was probably right. Now, how to tell them without spilling the beans that he was from another universe?

"Well, I was on my way home from school when I heard what sounded like a fight. I hid behind some trashcans to see what was going on and to my surprise it was the other Riders fighting these monsters," he began.

"Were they Daimon?" Lita asked.

"No, just giant bugs," was his answer. Serena and Mina stuck out their tongues in disgust.

"Ugh, gross!" was their response.

"Anyway, while I was watching them fight, I saw a bracelet had fallen next to me. I didn't know what possessed me to put it on in the first place. I guess I was probably curious. When I put it on, there was a robotic voice and I saw a robotic Hercules beetle flying around my head. I tried to swat it away but then when I moved my arms, it attached itself to this bracelet," Kira told them as he pointed to the bracelet on his wrist. Ami's eyes widened at its design. She wanted so much to know how a little thing like that could generate a suit of hi-tech armor.

"Then what?" Serena asked.

"The armor covered me and the other Riders and those bug things noticed me. I just went in and fought anyway since there was no way I could've gotten away with the bracelet and suit. I watched how the other Riders used Cast Off to change from Masked Form to Rider Form and how to use Clock Up"

"Masked Form?" Mina asked.

"Rider Form?" Serena questioned.

"Clock Up?" Lita inquired.

"What are those?" Ami asked, feeling a bit giddy. It must've been the scientist in her.

"Masked Form is the first form we change into," he told them. "Rider Form is when we cast off the bulky Masked Form armor. Clock Up is what allows us to move so fast."

Ami committed this to memory. She did remember the words 'Clock Up' being said by the Riders before they vanished. Ami had analyzed it with her computer and it had been quite a shock to her to see them moving so fast that the world around them looked like it was standing still.

Kira was making up his story as he went along. He wasn't exactly lying, but he just couldn't tell them he was from another world. One reason was that they would think he was crazy despite how crazy this place was to begin with and the other reason was that they would know that sooner or later he would have to return to his universe. That would sadden them all greatly, Lita the most.

Raye listened to Kira's story but her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Some of the things he was telling them just didn't add up. If the Riders had been active for as long as Kira had told them, seeing that he had only been one for a short time, how come they only appeared in public now? She would have to look into it soon. She had no reason to suspect Kira of an ulterior motive, however. Judging by his actions, he was not evil. Like he said, it was just his (bad) luck to become a Rider.

"Um, Kira?" Raye began to ask.

"Yes, Raye?" he responded.

"Do you know who the other Riders really are?" she asked him. Kira gulped.

"Um, well, I do but I've been sworn to secrecy. Sorry, girls, I just can't tell you who they are," Kira said as he feared of what the other Riders might do to him for blowing their secret.

"I got a question too!" Serena said suddenly, "Why are the Riders based on bugs?"

Kira chuckled, "That, Serena, is something I don't even know." He then said, "So, now that you know how I became a Rider, tell me how you girls became Sailor Scouts. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

The girls obliged and they began telling of how they had all met. Serena explained how she was given her first means of transforming by a 'mysterious benefactor' (she thought Yagami might think she was crazy if she told him that it was a talking cat that gave it to her). Amy went on to tell how her entire class was being brainwashed and when Serena saved her, her own powers activated. Raye told her tale of how she was trapped on the cursed temple bus and learned to transform then. Lita proudly stated she got her powers when she took on a Youma with her bare hands. Mina stated in an equally loud voice that she had been doing it the longest but was under the name Sailor V before she became Sailor Venus.

While they were all explaining their adventures, they had finally gotten to Raye's house. It was a serious trek up the stairs but blessed relief was at the top when there wasn't anymore climbing to do. Lita and Raye helped him into the main living room and helped him sit down.

"How do you feel?" Lita asked, playing the part of the doting girlfriend quite well.

"Well, I'm not as sore anymore," Yagami smiled. "Kabuto's Rider Kick really hurts. I'm just tired and hungry right now."

"Okay, I'll make some dinner!" Lita smiled before she started hopping to the kitchen, wondering what she could make. That left Kira alone with the other four girls.

"Kira," Amy asked soothingly. "Lita told us that you went into some kind of berserker rage when you fought that Daimon and those other two Sailor Scouts. Forgive me for being rude, but that doesn't sound like you at all."

Kira sighed. He knew it would probably come to this. He was just glad that Lita wasn't in the room to hear this. He didn't want her to feel any more distress about what had happened earlier tonight. The memories alone were bad enough without someone digging them up.

"To be honest, it wasn't really me," he replied. "When I saw that Daimon take Lita's heart crystal out, I felt like my world was being torn apart. I wanted to make that Daimon pay for hurting someone so precious to me. I also felt like there was another voice in my head, it was agreeing with me, urging me to fight."

"Has this happened before?" asked Raye. This might have been a mental problem.

"No," Yagami sighed. "This...I think it came from my armor. I must have triggered something which activated a berserker program. Trashing that Daimon like I did I can probably do if I was angry enough but, near the end I was so full of hate and rage I could barely see straight. I was staring right at Kabuto and all I wanted to do was fight. I couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe anymore. I had no control whatsoever."

"Oh, Kira," Serena gasped quietly. '_To be trapped in your own body must have been a terrible experience_.'

"Did Kabuto really use his special kick on you?" asked Mina. She had heard it twice before but she wanted to be sure.

"You mean the Rider Kick?" Yagami frowned. "Yeah, he did. I was so out of control that it was probably the only way for him to stop me and force me to change back."

"Force you?" asked Amy, her inner scientist returning. "What do you mean?"

"Near as I can figure, and from stuff Gatack told me, there's a limit to how much damage the armor can take before the Zector, the insect piece that allows us to change, just runs off," Yagami explained. "It's sort of like a self-preservation mechanism. I think it's because whoever built these things figured that they could get new bearers so long as the weapon itself survived."

This caused the girls to worry. That would mean that the Riders were expendable as long as the Zectors survived. The Riders themselves didn't really matter since new Riders could be chosen anyway if the Zector was still around after the Rider either died or gave up.

"That's horrible!" Serena gasped. "Are you saying that whoever designed the armor did not care about you at all? They just cared that this Zector thing survived?"

Kira looked down at the Hakabuto Brace on his wrist and sighed. The reality had dawned on him. Yagurama and Kageyama had told him that the Zectors were also sentient enough to determine if a person was worthy to be a Rider or not. He didn't want to be a Rider really, but right now there was no turning back. "I guess you can put it that way." Tendou and Kagami had explained to him about the Zectors and Zect. He didn't like how Zect worked though. They were a bit too shady in his opinion. He just hoped that he was never found and questioned. Paranoid thoughts but they were justified…at least by Tendou. Kamemaru and Kagami worked for Zect and both Yagurama and Kageyama used to work for Zect before going rogue. If these were the Riders they had chosen then the Zectors really had a strange idea of 'worthiness'. Also, Daisuke and Tsurugi didn't seem to work for Zect at all. Tendou didn't work for Zect either.

Right now, Kira just wanted to rest. He then said, "Hey, do you mind if I use the phone? I want to call my cousin and stepbrother to tell them where I am."

"Sure," Raye said and gave him the directions to the phone.

"Thank you," he nodded. He followed her directions to where the phone was to make his call.

When Yagami had left the room, the girls were quiet for a moment. What they had been told was somewhat of a shock. It wasn't everyday that they met someone who wore a piece of high tech weaponry whose inventors didn't give a flying fig if the users lived or died.

"Who would build machines like that?" Mina murmured quietly.

"More importantly," Raye spoke. "_Why_ would they build machines like that?"

"Huh?" asked Serena. "What do you mean?"

"She means that weapons are built for a specific reason, Serena," Amy interjected. "What sort of enemy would the Riders have to fight to warrant the kind of power that they possess?"

Conversation was cut off when they heard sniffling coming from the hallway. The girls turned to see Lita standing in the doorway, her hands clutching her skirt tightly. Her eyes were on the floor but tears could be seen running down her face. She had no doubt heard part of the conversation that Yagami had spoke out about how the Zectors worked.

"How dare they?" she whispered quietly. "Why would they make something like that? How could they see him that way? (sob) He's special! (sob!) (sniff!) I...I won't let them...(sob) take him away! I..I..lo..."

That was when Lita fell to her knees and started crying again. Hearing about how people made machines that were meant to protect people but turned the users into berserkers like it had earlier in the night before they discarded them was just too much. While her friends came to her side she just wanted her boyfriend. She wanted to know that he really was okay. That he wasn't going to be tossed aside. She just wanted to be in his arms.

----------------------------------------Meanwhile------------------------------------------------

"Okay, Tendou," Yagami sighed. "I'll see you whenever."

He then hung up the phone and sighed deeply. He had tried to cover up his tracks with Tendou by saying that Lita was the only one who knew about him but Tendou had this incredible sense for lies and pointed it out on the spot. So, Yagami had to tell him that his other four friends knew. Apparently though, Tendou didn't care in the least. Kagami on the other hand started freaking out in the background when he said that four more people knew the identity of Hakabuto. Yagami did manage to get an answer to what the hell had happened to him earlier. The Red Shoes System. It made him absolutely sick of Zect if they thought building the system was justifiable. Tendou had also basically given him free reign to answer their questions but he couldn't tell them about the different universe thing.

'_Well that was a given,_' Yagami mused sarcastically to himself.

Sighing yet again, Yagami made his way out to the living room only to find himself glomped by his own girlfriend who was sobbing into his shoulder. She kept saying something over and over again as she kept her tight grip, "You aren't expendable. You aren't replaceable."

Yagami looked up to the other four girls who looked somewhat tense at the moment. He just shook his head before looking at them, "She heard, didn't she?"

Quiet nods were his response. Looking back to Lita, he maneuvered her to the table where he took a seat and she just sat in his lap. There was no way that she was going to let go. Seeing that the other girls weren't going anywhere either, he decided to start talking again.

"I managed to call Kabuto," he spoke, which caused everyone to look up. "After I called my step-brother I decided to ask him just what the heck happened. He called it the Red Shoes System."

"Like the story?" asked Raye. Yagami nodded.

"It works more or less like it I guess," he spoke. "I would have kept fighting until I ran out of opponents or just dropped from sheer exhaustion. Luckily, it's only in the Hakabuto, Gatack, and Kabuto armor."

"You call _that_ lucky?" Mina frowned.

"Kira," Raye frowned. "I think we deserve to know right now. What kind of enemy were the Riders made to fight? Are we going to have to deal with them too?"

Now this was a question that Yagami could answer honestly, "You won't have to worry about that. The enemy that the Riders were made to fight is long gone. They are not coming back. So is the organization that made the Rider armor. The only problem is…Well, remember when I mention that the Zectors choose the Riders? It still applies even though there was no one left to fight. The Zectors for the other Riders stayed with them. It's like bond. Even if the Riders weren't actually needed except for the odd monster, they would still hang around just incase."

"Until you guys heard about Juuban, right?" asked Amy.

"It was pure luck that got us here really," Yagami sighed, really hating his own guts for lying right now. "I didn't even know that this place had monster problems until Kabuto, Gatack, and I found one here attacking Raye."

"Then the other Riders heard and soon they were all coming," Amy finished. "Am I right?"

Yagami nodded, "Right." He looked down at his crying girlfriend. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Me? What about you? You were being forced into a fight you had no idea about to begin with," she said to him, still crying. "You were just a normal guy before all of this started."

"I don't like it anymore than you do, Lita-chan," he spoke tenderly as he stroked her back soothingly. "But, there is one thing I'm grateful for since I became a Rider." He looked at the girls, "It was meeting you all and," he looked Lita in the eyes, "meeting you, especially, Lita-chan."

Lita blushed and tightened her hug. The others stared at the loving scene and Serena just fawned over it. It was just so romantic!

The others decided to leave the couple alone for a bit. They needed to sort things out. Lita and Yagami stared at each other for the longest time.

"So, now what?" Lita asked.

"What ever do you mean?" Yagami asked, confused.

"Our relationship," she said. "Are you going to, you know…"

Yagami listened to the tone and knew what she was talking about, "Are you afraid I might break up with you, Lita, for keeping secrets?" She just nodded. "I won't, I promise. I've been keeping secrets from you too so now we're even. Besides, you're too special to me."

"You're special to me too," she admitted.

They looked each other in the eye and then leaned close. Their lips were puckered and their eyes began to close when all of a sudden the door collapsed open when all the girls came tumbling into the room with a yelp! Lita and Yagami jumped in shock.

"Ow…" Serena groaned.

"Stupid meatball-head," Raye grumbled.

"Hey, I'm not the one who gained weight!" Serena snapped.

"Are you calling me fat!?" Raye shot back.

Amy blushed in embarrassment while Mina was grinning sheepishly.

"Um…sorry?" Mina said as Yagami and Lita glared at them.

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The next day was considerably brighter for everyone all around. Michelle was currently walking to her favorite cafe to get some tea. She and Haruka decided to take the day off school today. Haruka was taking a day off because she was still hurting from her injuries and Michelle was doing the same because she insisted that Haruka stay home and she wanted to watch over her. Haruka was still a little upset so Michelle had decided to go out for something to eat. As she stepped up to her favorite cafe', she noticed a familiar face sitting at one of the outdoor tables.

"Daisuke?" she asked the very same man in question looked up.

"Ah! Michelle," he smiled. "It seems you are in considerably brighter spirits then last we met."

"Considerably," Michelle agreed as she took a seat. "But I'm not out of the darkness just yet."

"Oh?" Daisuke blinked as he sipped his tea. "Do tell."

"Oh, I shouldn't dump my problems onto you," Michelle tried to protest, finding it nice that Daisuke honestly wanted to listen to her troubles.

"It's no trouble," Daisuke insisted. "I personally try to see every flower I meet smile in some way or another. Please, I truly wish to listen."

"All right," Michelle relented. "Well, my partner and I have made up since we last spoke."

"That is truly good news to hear," Daisuke nodded. "Lovers shouldn't be fighting with each other."

"True, but she is still quite determined to finish what we have to do by whatever means necessary," Michelle explained. "To be honest, it's a little uncomfortable."

"Ah," Daisuke nodded. "This mysterious task that you won't tell me about. I take it the way your partner wishes to go about it may cause some harm?"

"Yes," Michelle nodded sadly. "But she is convinced that it is the only way and refuses to listen to anyone else who may have another way."

"Stubborn as always," Daisuke chuckled. "People like her are usually dead set in their ways so unless she sees proof that there is another way then she will not believe it. Although, I suspect that this is not the only thing troubling you is it?"

"You are a perceptive one, Daisuke," Michelle smiled. "I believe that I may have stumbled on a secret of a friend of mine. The only thing is that he does not know that someone suspects him or even that someone suspects him at all."

"Ahh, the intrigue," Daisuke grinned. "I will not press for details for it isn't my business to pry into the affairs of a lady, but I will say this: if you respect this person then try to find some kind of connection to this secret you suspect you have found. If you find a connection, then try to find proof. If you have proof, then you may confront them."

"Mmm," Michelle agreed as she thought about it. "That's very good advice."

"It's the only kind I try to give out," Daisuke nodded before he stood up and picked up his case. "Now if you would excuse me, I have an appointment to keep. I hope to see you again, Michelle."

"Goodbye," Michelle waved as she turned back to her thoughts. Deciding to run her suspicions through Daisuke's advice, she began to think. '_Kira and Hakabuto both had a similar saying. Breaking the chains of destiny to forge their own fate. It isn't very common but there is a chance that two people can say something similar. Do I have proof that they are the same person? Only coincidental really. Kira vanished last night while Hakabuto appeared. Kira could still have been out cold during that entire episode and I may not have notice. I suppose that I will just have to keep an eye on either of them when I see them again._'

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The bells for the school rang loudly, which alerted everyone to the end of the school day. Students were in a rush to get out of the building so that they could get on with their social lives and start having fun. That and try to forget what they had learned over the day. Walking towards the main gates were Serena, Lita, and Yagami. The last two had a warm and pleasantly tight grip on each others hands. While they were walking towards the main gates, they started seeing a taller, black-haired figure waiting there. Serena was the first one who saw him before she broke out into a huge grin and started running towards him.

"Darien!" she cheered before leaping into his arms for a super glomp. Lita and Yagami just smiled and/or laughed at seeing this.

While Serena was busy greeting her boyfriend, Yagami was beginning to consider something. Last night he had forgotten to ask about that Tuxedo Mask guy and who he was. Now when he was thinking about it, Darien looked like he was about the same build and height as the guy.

'_Hmmm,_' he pondered. '_Same height and build. Give him a tuxedo, a cape, and a mask and I think we have a winner. I just hope I'm right._'

The friends stepped closer to Serena and her boyfriend as Yagami decided to try his guess.

"Oh, hey there, Kira," Darien greeted in a friendly manner.

Yagami discreetly checked to see if anyone is listening and satisfied that no one was, he made his reply, "Hello to you too, _Tuxedo Mask_."

Darien almost sputtered on his words while the other girls stood back in shock. They were all surprised to hear that Yagami had just revealed that he knew Darien's secret identity. Seeing the shocked looks on everyone's faces just brought an amused smile to Yagami's face.

"Relax," he laughed. "The girls didn't tell me a thing. I just figured it out on my own. I just figured that since you and Serena are so close, you would have to know about her 'after-school activities'. From there I guessed that you were involved on some level and the man near her all the time when she's Sailor Moon has always been Tuxedo Mask."

"Wow," Darien blinked. "You're good."

"Yeah, well," Yagami smiled as he started pulling back his sleeve to show his Hakabuto Brace. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. Kamen Rider Hakabuto at your service."

"Really?" Darien blinked. Now this was a surprise for him. He hadn't been brought up to date about what had happened with Lita just yet so he hadn't been told that they discovered Hakabuto's true identity. It was just a matter of time before Serena would have spilled the beans to him anyway. "Wow."

"Ah, it's nothing," Yagami smiled before he looked around. "Hey, where's Amy anyway?"

"Oh, she's inside talking to a teacher," Serena replied before tugging on Darien's arm. "Come on, Darien, I have to take Molly and Melvin out for pizza. I want you to come with us!"

Watching the pair leave, Yagami suspected that Serena didn't have a whole lot of money on her at the moment. Shrugging, he figured that any moment spent with someone special was not a wasted moment. He certainly could agree to that. Clasping Lita's hand again, the couple began their walk towards Raye's house for their next study session.

While they were walking, the happy couple was spied by the familiar forms of the Hoppers in their civilian forms. Kageyama was closer so he could see them more clearly than Yaguruma could, but neither of them could hear a thing that they were saying.

"Aniki," Kageyama spoke. "It looks like the New Guy has found a girlfriend."

"It appears so, Aibou," Yaguruma smirked. "So the rumors were true."

"Should we do something?" Kageyama asked while turning to his 'big brother.'

"Why?" Yaguruma snorted. "It's of no concern to us. Let the New Guy find what pleasures he can."

Kageyama nodded before the two of them began walking deep into the alleyway.

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Amy sighed as she leaned against a bridge, sighing in her own depression. The day had been more or less just one big depression for her. It first started when the teacher started talking to her about how much responsibility she had with her grades. Darien had offered a few kind words but she only felt a little better. She had tried to go swimming to wash off her depression but that only brought her to meeting Michelle and finding herself totally outclassed. The study session at the temple really wasn't helpful either with Serena stonewalling everyone's attempts to ask for her help. She knew Serena had meant well but all it really did was remind her of how useless she was with anything but academics.

"Mmmmnn," Amy sighed as she gazed at her reflection from the water. "Even Serena proved I'm only good at academics. I'm so useless."

"Oh, I doubt that," a male voice spoke up.

Amy quickly stood up to see a man with a friendly face and a carrying case of some kind standing next to her. He just appeared so suddenly she was caught by complete surprise.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized. "I'm in your way, aren't I?"

"A beautiful flower can never get in my way," the man said as he tipped his hat. "Daisuke Kazama, at your service. And you are?"

Amy blushed at being called a beautiful flower by this stranger but then remembered to introduce herself, "I'm Amy. Amy Mizuno."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Mizuno," Daisuke spoke charmingly. "Now, why were you calling yourself useless?"

Amy knew she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but the man just seemed too kind to even have any ill will at all. She then told him her troubles.

"I see," Daisuke said thoughtfully. He then noticed a familiar face heading their way, "Oh, Tendou. Good day."

"Hello, Kazama," Tendou greeted and then noticed Amy. "You are Amy, correct?"

"And you must be Tendou," Amy said. "Kira's told us all about you."

"Ah, yes, Kira," Tendou said, "I hope my stepbrother has not been too much trouble."

"No, he hasn't," Amy said while shaking her head. "Kira's been such a good friend to us."

"I see," Tendou replied, his eyes narrowed slightly "He is that type of person."

"Miss Mizuno here has just been telling me about how she perceives herself as useless," Daisuke explained. "She seems to only see herself of any worth on the fields of academics."

"Hmmm," Tendou muttered while leaning against the reining with a sigh. "Grandmother said this: The world is just as much as we perceive it as we do ourselves. The more we see in ourselves, the more we see the world."

Amy blinked at the odd advice but Daisuke just took it in stride. He had heard these sayings that Tendou was so fond of quoting before. Tendou just stood up and began walking away from the two. Amy wanted to call out and ask what he meant but she didn't seem to bother him. He probably had other important things to do. Daisuke just chuckled, catching Amy's attention again.

"That Tendou has always been an odd one," he explained. "But his grandmother was a wise lady if he quotes her so often. I have found that whenever he speaks like that, it usually is good advice."

"Hmm," Amy pondered. If that was true then maybe she should consider it. "So...what he meant was that I'm only useless if I only look at myself as that?"

"A fair judgment," Daisuke nodded. "See? You aren't just skilled in academics, but you also have common sense. Something that an amazing amount of people lack these days I find."

"Really?" Amy blinked.

"Yes," Daisuke nodded. "Most people would have either disregarded what Tendou said or think too hard about it and misunderstand. You on the other hand saw it at face value and actually used common sense to figure it out. His advice is already working, you are beginning to see yourself with other skills."

Amy smiled at the compliment. She wouldn't go that far just yet but Daisuke did have a point. She was already starting to look at things in new ways. Tendou's advice really was helpful

"Well, I must be off," Daisuke sighed. "Appointments to keep and such. Oh, and Miss Mizuno?"

"Yes?" Amy asked.

"You and your friends please continue to take care of New Guy would you?" Daisuke smiled before he turned a corner and was gone.

Amy stood there for a moment with surprise on her face. Daisuke knew Kira too. Maybe they met through Tendou but that wasn't the issue at the moment. What was the point was what Daisuke had said at the moment. That and something that Kira had mention after they brought him to Raye's house after the incident.

'_They just show up and help me out sometimes since I'm considered the 'New Guy' to them._'

'_You and your friends please continue to take care of New Guy would you?_'

Could it be? Was Daisuke connected to the Kamen Riders like Kira was? It was a possibility but there were doubts. Serena had mentioned that Haruka liked to call Kira 'New Guy' so it may be his nickname that Daisuke had picked up. They were also sure that Haruka was not a Rider since all the Riders were male. That was easy enough to tell because of their voices. Haruka may be able to pretend to be a man but even her voice couldn't go that deep.

She was brought out f her thoughts when the same cross-dressing tomboy in question pulled to a stop next to her in her school uniform and a helmet.

"Found you," she spoke. "My partner wants a rematch with you. Please don't try to run away either. It would just cause me more trouble."

Amy felt a little bit insulted that Haruka would think of her that way. She may not have liked confrontation but that didn't mean that she ran away at the first chance she got!

"Here," Haruka offered as she pulled out a red helmet. "I'll give you a lift to the sports centre."

"I'll walk thank you very much,"" Amy frowned before she started her trek towards the sports centre.

"Fine by me," Haruka shrugged before she began coasting behind her.

What neither young woman knew was that they were being tailed by a third party who was keeping a close eye on them. Tendou stepped out from the corner and walked a fair distance behind the two with his usual arrogant swagger. The last target had been Yagami's girlfriend and after meeting Amy, Tendou had a suspicion that she may be a future target. Seeing that blonde girl appear to talk to her only roused his suspicions.

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Serena had been running around town for a while now, desperately looking for Amy. She felt absolutely terrible for hurting her friend's feelings like she did. Her and her big mouth!

"Serena!" a male voice shouted.

Serena looked down to find Mina's advisor Artemis running up to her.

"What is it?" Serena asked, not liking the tone in his voice.

"We spotted Amy heading towards the sports centre," he reported. "That Haruka girl is with her too."

"But what is she doing there?" Serena asked in confusion.

"Not sure," Artemis shrugged. "But Luna is there with her. Come on, I'll show you the way!"

Serena nodded before following the white cat.

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When Amy had arrived at the sports centre, she had been prepared to face an upset Michelle or someone who wanted to mock her by winning another race. What she had received was neither. Michelle had just wanted another race with her, this time with Amy at full strength. Amy accepted that and remembered the advice that Tendou and Daisuke had given her. She was only useless when she perceived herself as such. She was just filled with skills that she didn't know she had. As long as she believed that she had those skills and used them with all her strength then there was nothing that she couldn't accomplish.

With Haruka watching at the sidelines in a deck chair, the two swimmers were off like bullets. Amy couldn't remember the last time she had pushed herself so hard. She found it rather refreshing though. She didn't want to run away from this so she decided to give it her all. She and Michelle were tied all the way through the race. In the end, both of them reached the end at the same time. Both girls got up gasping for breath as they rested for a moment.

"See?" Michelle gasped. "Competing with all your strength isn't all that bad."

Amy wanted to reply but a clapping noise caught her attention along with Haruka and Michelle. They all turned their attention to the main doors and found that they had a small audience. Daisuke was clapping away with a smile on his face and Tendou was leaning on the wall wit his arms crossed.

"Daisuke!" Amy and Michelle gasped, slightly surprised that the other knew him and that he was here.

"Daisuke, what are you and Tendou doing here?" asked Amy, feeling a little modest at the moment.

"Well, Tendou here bumped into me and said that you were heading here with what appeared to be a biker," Daisuke answered with a grin. "I was naturally intrigued because Tendou rarely shows interest in anything."

Tendou just rolled his eyes. Amy gave a quiet giggle, since she knew Tendou a little better than the other two women. Michelle and Haruka just seemed a little interested in who the other man was.

"Do you know him, Amy?" asked Michelle. "I remember him introducing himself a while ago but that's all he said."

"Yes," Amy nodded. "This is Tendou. He's Kira's stepbrother."

"Really?" asked Haruka. "You live with New Guy?"

Tendou gave a slight nod, "I'm one of his guardians."

"Hmm," Michelle smiled. "Well, though it is nice to see you again, Daisuke, I'm afraid that Haruka and I have to get going. Classes tomorrow and such."

"Perfectly understandable," Daisuke nodded. "A truly beautiful flower has radiance inside and out."

Michelle smiled at the compliment as she and Haruka made their way out of the room. Tendou had been casting them a strange look but only Haruka seemed to notice it slightly. She sent her own gaze back at Tendou before exiting the room with her partner.

"Ahh," Amy sighed before she turned back to the pool. "Now I feel like tacking a relaxing swim."

Tendou glanced at her for a moment before he noticed something on the ceiling. He could see a shadowed figure standing above the roof. He also saw a small object that ad somehow phased through the glass and was falling towards the pool at an increased rate. Tendou shifted his gaze back to Amy and saw that she was already in the water.

"Get out of the water!" he called before dashing forward towards the blue haired girl.

"What?" Amy asked in confusion before the small object touched the water.

The entire pool was suddenly engulfed in red light that was the same shade as blood. Daisuke covered his eyes as Amy was transfixed in horror. Tendou just glared to where the seed had dropped, waiting for his opponent to appear. The pool water swirled like it was in a storm before a pillar of it came out and reformed into a female figure before it solidified. The creature had gray skin that looked it was fish scales. She wore a black one piece bathing suit and two inner tubes. On her back was an oxygen tank. She was wearing a yellow swimming cap and goggles on her head with a snorkel near her mouth.

"DOVLIN!" it smiled sinisterly.

Tendou didn't waste any time in being frightened or stunned by the creature he just continued to dash towards Amy to pull her out of the pool. Apparently, Dovlin took notice of this.

"No running around the pool! DOVLIN!" she cried before waving her arms. The water instantly reacted and two jets fired out of it. One had hit Tendou and the other struck Daisuke, both were sent out the doors.

"Tendou! Daisuke!" Amy cried, worried for her new friends.

"Forget them!" Dolvin snickered. "I am here to claim your pure heart which has been clouded with your doubts! DOVLIN!"

Amy suddenly found herself pulled underwater by what felt like tentacles of water before she was hurled across the surface of the pool like a skipping stone. Her flight came to an abrupt halt when she became pinned to the glass window face-first by the water which quickly turned to a gelatin of some kind that kept her arms and legs pinned.

"Lane 1! DOVLIN!" Dovlin grinned as she yanked off her cap to reveal a bald head and a black star mark. She prepared to fire when something interrupted her.

"STANDBY!"

Amy blinked as she heard the mechanical words. She recalled how Kira explained how the Zectors were summoned. There was a Kamen Rider here! The windows on either side of her were smashed as a red beetle and a blue dragonfly came right through them and towards Dovlin.

"Ack! Bugs!" she cried. "I thought this water was chlorinated!"

The insects flew right past Dovlin before she turned around to see where they were going. She frowned to see Tendou with his Kabuto Belt exposed and Daisuke with his Drake Grip held high. Tendou had caught his beetle while the dragonfly had started hovering over the grip.

"Henshin," they both said softly so that Amy would not hear them. Tendou slipped the beetle into position and the dragonfly secured itself to the grip.

"HESNHIN!" the Zectors echoed before beginning the change. Soon, Drake and Kabuto were standing ready for battle.

Above them, Kaolinite watched the two Riders step into view and she frowned, "Tsk. That's all I need now!"

"Ooh," Dovlin sneered. "Looks like roughhousing in the pool!"

Drake just aimed his gun as he stepped forward, "I will not stand by and watch the crime of a maiden's heart being stolen. If you want it, then you have to go through us!"

Kabuto didn't say anything as he aimed his Kunai Gun at the Daimon. Since Dovlin was standing in the middle of the pool, somehow floating on water, she was going to be somewhat of a challenge to fight.

"Okay!" Dovlin laughed as she put the snorkel to her mouth and pointed the end at the two Riders. She then started blowing into it so hard her entire head turned red. The result was a high pressure stream of water that flew at the Riders. Drake and Kabuto dodged to the sides before they started opening fire on Dovlin.

"Ah! Oh! Ow! Watch it!" Dovlin cried as she squirmed to avoid getting blasted. Luckily, Drake and Kabuto were at an angle that their shots were going out the broken windows should they miss their target.

"Grrr!" Kaolinite growled as she watched the antics from above. She was tired of these Riders always getting in the way! She was going to get that heart crystal and nothing was going to stop her! "Dovlin! Stop fooling around and get that heart!"

Dovlin heard her mistress' orders and obeyed, "DOVLIN!"

She spread her arms out to the sides and the pool water spread like Moses parting the sea. Only no one was going to cross. The two sides were aimed straight at the Riders. Since they were still in the Masked Forms they couldn't activate their Clock Up systems to get out of the way. Both Drake and Kabuto were hit hard by the attack and were both smashed into the walls before they fell to the floor stunned.

"Now where were we?" Dovlin laughed before turning back to Amy. Her head started glowing around the star mark before a black beam of energy cut through the air and hit Amy in the back.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Amy cried in pain. The beam was relentless before it pulled out a small heart crystal and left Amy leaning against the window, seemingly senseless.

It was then that Kaolinite appeared and took the crystal into her hands. She looked at the two fallen Riders and smirked arrogantly.

"So the Riders aren't invincible after all. Maybe I should bring one of you back with me so the Professor can dissect you." she laughed.

"Hold it!" a new voice cried, causing Kaolinite to turn and face Sailor Moon who had just arrived. "I came here looking for a friend and I find you here causing mischief. I Sailor Moon will not stand for it!"

"Humph," Kaolinite pouted. "Dovlin, get rid of this pest will you?"

"DOVLIN!" the Daimon cried before she started spinning. Suddenly, one of her inner tubes flew straight off her body and managed to attach itself to Sailor Moon tightly, pinning her arms.

"Ack!" Sailor Moon cried as she tried to free herself. It seemed to be no use. She looked up to see Dovlin racing towards her with her hands outstretched, ready to pummel her.

Suddenly, Dovlin reared back in pain, clutching her face. Next to her, imbedded in the side of the pool wall, was a fully bloomed rose. Everyone conscious looked up to see the familiar black clad form that was Tuxedo Mask.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon cried in delight.

"I will not stand by and tolerate those who would harm an innocent maiden," he frowned. "Now will I let my fellow warriors be harmed in this way any longer! Prepare to be defeated!"

"Humph!" Kaolinite pouted again. She had discovered that the heart crystal wasn't a talisman but she could still use it as a pass out of this sticky situation.

"CAST OFF! CHANGE BEETLE!"

"CAST OFF! CHANGE DRAGONFLY!"

Or the Riders could choose this moment to get their second wind and up the game. Kaolinite glanced around and saw that Drake and Kabuto had gotten rid of their bulkier armor and changed into their lighter forms. Drake had even picked up the rose that Tuxedo Mask had thrown and was holding it to his helmet like his was sniffing it.

"Ahh," he seemed to smile. "A flower can be a beautiful thing, but to those such as yourself, they can be a deadly weapon indeed."

"Don't come, any closer!" Kaolinite growled. "Or I'll shatter this heart crystal!"

"No!" Sailor Moon cried while Tuxedo Mask threw another rose to free her from the inner tube.

"CLOCK UP!"

Kaolinite only watched the rose beginning to fall to the ground before she saw that the heart crystal had vanished from her hands. Looking around, she couldn't see it or Drake anywhere.

"CLOCK OVER!"

Suddenly Drake appeared again next to Amy's body with the crystal floating in his free hand. His gun was pointing at Kaolinite with his finger on the trigger.

"I make it a point to try not to attack a lady," he spoke coolly. "I'll give you one chance to leave."

Kaolinite frowned. As much as she would have liked to destroy the fool herself, she knew when she should save her own skin rather than risk it. She would rather not get her hands dirty anyway. That was what the hired help was for.

"Fine," she frowned and began to fade from view. But before she vanished completely, she gave her final orders to Dovlin. "Dovlin! Destroy these fools!"

The gray-skinned Daimon nodded before she summoned another tidal wave to try and drown most of her opponents at once. Tuxedo Mask was quick to react as he leaped into the air and extended his cane so that it collided with her head and slammed her into the water. Dovlin came back up sputtering for air.

"Good thing I was wearing a floatation device," she lamented before a loud BANG was heard. Turning back she saw Drake aiming his gun at her and a hole in her inner tube. Panicking, she frog-stroked her way to the edge of the pool before trying to pull herself out. For a Daimon based off water, she didn't seem to be that great of a swimmer.

"1, 2, 3," was what she heard before looking up to the red and black visage of Kabuto. "RIDER KICK!"

Dovlin tried to dive back into the pool but Kabuto was a little too quick for her. A sweep kick was all it took to send her several feel away from him. She skidded across the wet floor before her entire body collapsed into water and the Daimon seed rolled to a stop. It then cracked open and released the black ghost that quickly vanished. The gelatin that Amy was encased in also changed back to water, allowing her to drop to the floor. Drake was instantly at her side placing the crystal over her chest. It sparkled brightly for a moment before returning to her body. After a moment of waiting Amy regained consciousness and looked up to see the faces of Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon, and Drake looking down on her.

"Hmm," she sighed tiredly. "Thank you, everyone."

"CLOCK UP!" was heard before Kabuto vanished from the scene. Drake just sighed before standing up as well.

"That Kabuto, he never changes," Drake laughed before he activated his own Clock Up and vanished from the room as well. This left the girls and Tuxedo Mask alone to talk to each other about what things had been said in their secret identities.

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Tendou returned to his house to see Kagami in high spirits about something. Yagami on the other hand looked like he wanted to commit murder. When he stepped inside, Kagami was already teasing Yagami before he turned to see Tendou.

"Oh! Tendou!" Kagami laughed. "You should have been here. It was so kawaii!"

"Don't you dare, Kagami!" Yagami frowned, a threat in his voice.

"Yagami and Lita were just soooo cute together," Kagami laughed. "Or should I say 'Kira-kun' and 'Lita-chan'?"

"That's it!" Yagami growled. "I'm going to Rider Kick you straight to the next life!"

With that, the chaos that sometimes entered the household returned as Yagami tried to put the beat down on Kagami. Tendou just calmly ignored it as he stepped into the kitchen and calmly began making himself some tea. He'd had a stressful night and wanted to relax. He'd tell New Guy about the attack later when he was relaxed.

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The next morning found Kamemaru at his computer looking up anything that the media might have about the Scouts or the Riders. Megumi had come over yet again for another round of questions and to hang out with a superhero. His eyes landed on a report on the local sports centre being vandalized. Well, that was the 'official' report anyway. The moderator of the webpage who seemed determined to expose all Scout and Rider related incidents argued that the vandalism didn't leave any kind of signature. It looked more like there was some kind of fight. Apparently, there had been another attack.

"Wow!" Megumi gasped by reading over his shoulder. "Did you do that last night? Was it another Rider? Are you sure you don't know the Sailor Scouts? Do you get along? Who are the other Riders huh?"

Ahh, the wonders of being an idol to a preteen, "No, probably, we do, for the most part, and I'm not telling you."

"Awwwww," Megumi pouted in defeat.

Kamemaru just shook his head. If he didn't answer that question the first time then why would he answer it on the fiftieth time? Had to admire her determination though.

To Be Continued

A/N: That wraps it up for another chapter doesn't it? I want to send a big thansk to Zk Ckromedragozoid for beta reading and still putting up with some of the spelling mistakes I make. All the Riders get a little time to shine this chapteer and the relationship between Lita and Yagami deepens. How's that for romance?


	12. Uranus, Moon, and Hopper

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their respective creators and not to some guy like me. Feel free to disagree but the law will always win in the end.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-faced Paladin

Chapter 11: Uranus, Moon, and Hopper

Within the dark confines of the Deathbusters' base, Kaolinite stood in front of a number of monitors that each held an image of one of the Sailor Scouts or Tuxedo Mask.

"Kaolinite," the Professor's voice rang out. "More and more we find interference from these Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. It is becoming quite vexing."

"Yes, Professor," Kaolinite nodded. She could offer no explanation for her failures to destroy them at the moment but luckily her beloved hadn't asked for any just yet.

"Also, it seems were have some competition," the Professor continued as the images switched to that of Uranus and Neptune. "These two Sailor Scouts seem to appear whenever we attempt to secure a heart crystal. I am more than concerned about them."

Kaolinite could agree with that. Uranus and Neptune seemed to have an understanding to what the talismans were and what they could be used for. She was also suspicious that the two Scouts were onto her beloved's plans for them. If that was true then they would have to be taken out of the picture very quickly or else they might ruin everything if they weren't careful.

"Finally," the professor continued before the images switched to the Kamen Riders. "The Kamen Riders are also a concern. Their abilities are very troublesome. They seem to hold the ability to move at speeds that the eye cannot follow."

The monitor images flickered through scenes of past battles that the Riders had been a part of. Kaolinite felt shame hit her every time she saw a Daimon destroyed by one of the Riders or a Sailor Scout. She hadn't realized that she had failed that many times. She silently vowed that she wouldn't fail her beloved again.

"The Riders seem to have no clue about our plans but they are apparently aware that the talismans exist, but do not know what they are for," the Professer went on. "Also, they seem to be at odds with those two Scouts in particular."

Images ran through the monitors where the Outers and the Riders had their confrontations. Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper beating them down, Kabuto reflecting Uranus' attack, Hakabuto going ballistic on the two of them. It served to lift Kaolinite's mood slightly.

"Clearly," Kaolinite agreed.

"For now we should concentrate on Uranus and Neptune," the Professor spoke. "Their movements are predictable. They will appear when we attack again. The other scouts have their own strengths that we will deal with later. We will have to deal with the Riders when we have an effective means to counter their abilities."

"Yes Professor," Kaolinite nodded. "I will see to it that Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus do not live another day!"

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Emotions were running high at the racetracks that day. Engines of various bikes roared as they went to the limit in their riders attempts to be the one who crossed the finish line first. The riders themselves all had their determination as high as they could get it as they strove to be the winner. Even the audience had high spirits as they watched in enthusiasm and cheered for the racer that they wanted to win. One of the racers in particular was none other that Haruka Tenoh who was also tearing up the track as she passed the other competitors.

"Go Haruka!" Serena cheered from the stands.

She did also have her own cheering crew. Serena and the other girls all watched from the front row as their friend continued to leave her opponents in the dust. Even Darien and Yagami had come at the request of their respective girlfriends. A simple tactical strike of the puppy dog eyes took care of that quite easily.

Elsewhere in the stands, the familiar forms of Yaguruma and Kageyama stood and watched the races in an almost bored fashion. When one fought monsters on a regular basis, other things did tend to become boring in comparison.

"She's really good, Aniki," Kageyama commented as Haruka went passed them.

"That she is, Aibou," Yaguruma agreed. "She has achieved perfect harmony with her bike. That is why she is able to go beyond these other racers."

Yaguruma continued to watch Haruka speed around the track like the professional that she was. When they first met he had guessed that she really was a professional and now he had been proven right. There was something that had caught his eyes though. It seemed that some of the other racers who had gone against her in previous laps were looking somewhat angered. It seemed obvious that they did not like being beaten by a girl. This caused Yaguruma to shake his head in resignation. You got throwbacks everywhere these days.

Needless to say, Haruka was the winner of the race. Victoriously, she drove over to her crew and shrugged off her helmet with a satisfied sigh. Winning felt good to her and racing felt even better. She looked up to see Michelle waiting for her with a smile.

"Congratulations are in order I think," she smiled.

"Oh, I think so," Haruka grinned.

Further conversation was halted when engines could be heard coming closer. Haruka turned to see that a few of the other racers that she had raced alongside had driven over to her. Judging from their body postures and the looks in their eyes through their visors, they were not very happy. Not happy at all.

"Think you're so great, don't you?" one growled.

"Do you know how mad it makes us look being beaten by a girl?" another snarled. "Why don't you head back to the kitchen where you belong?"

"Yeah!" added a third. "This is a man's sport!"

Haruka frowned. She hated people like these guys. Idiots who seemed to have missed the women's rights movement and that times have changed.

"I doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman in a race," Haruka frowned. "All that matters is speed."

This did not go down well with the collected racers, proving onve again how people such as them didn't own a respectable number of braincells and were also proud owners of denial when they heard something that they didn't like.

"Why you smug little-!"

"HEY!" a new voice shouted.

Everyone's attention was turned onto another racer who had seen what was developing and decided to intervene. His name was Yamada Katsutoshi. He was one of the better racers out there and was someone that Haruka respected. He was skilled at the races and gave it his all every time. He didn't do it for the glory or recognition. He did it for the challenge. He also respected Haruka's skills and didn't care what gender she was.

"If you guys want to get back at her then win in the next race," he frowned.

The other racers frowned and made disgruntled noises but they knew that they would never get away with anything if there was a witness. They eventually left and Haruka gave a small sigh of relief. Yamada just shook his head and put on his helmet before driving off.

"Hmm," Michelle pondered. "He seems to be the type who has a pure heart,"

"I thought so too," Haruka remarked as she watched him go.

"I'll keep an eye on him then," Michelle replied. "You just concentrate on your races."

"Will do," Haruka smirked. "Just be careful."

Michelle then walked off as Haruka pulled on her helmet and prepped herself for the next race.

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"Oh man!" Lita grinned. "Haruka just blew them away! Did you see her, Kira-kun?"

"Yes, Lita-chan, I did," Kira laughed. "I was sitting right next to you."

Lita blushed in embarrassment while the other girls started giggling. It was nice to see another couple besides Serena and Darien. They were so cute! Best of all, they knew each others' deepest secret so they didn't have to feel that they were keeping something important from each other. Granted they would probably worry that the other was going to get hurt fighting Daimon but in the end that might strengthen their relationship.

"That was a really exciting race!" Mina smiled brightly. "Haruka was really something!"

"Yes," Amy agreed. "I think I even forgot an English word in all the excitement."

Sweat-drops were all around from that statement.

While the friends were all talking about what their favorite part of the race was, Serena had noticed a stand of some of the cutest dolls that looked like motorcyclists she had ever seen. Taking a moment to look at them, she didn't notice that her friends kept walking. She also didn't notice two people who were behind her.

"See something you like?" she heard someone ask and she turned around suddenly. She recognized the jackets with the one missing sleeves and knew who they were immediately. "Yagurama! Kageyama!"

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, huh Aibou?" Yagurama asked his partner.

"Yes, it has been, Aniki," Kageyama said with a grin. "How have you been, Serena?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" Serena said. "Just here to support a friend, that's all."

"Hey, Serena!" she heard her friend, Mina, call. They had noticed that she was missing and turned back around. They then noticed Kageyama and Yagurama. Kira frowned a bit. He was always teased by some of the older Riders and now that he had company, he was nervous that the Hoppers would do the same. "Oh, it's you two, Kageyama and Yagurama."

"Yo," Kageyama said.

"It seems that a lot of you came," Yagurama said. "Hey, New Guy."

"Hello, Yagurama," Yagami waved a bit, earning stares from Serena and Mina. "They are…acquaintances of my cousin and stepbrother."

"Yes, Kagami and Tendou," Yagurama said, trying to hide his dislike towards two of the people who took away his status as Zabee. "We actually worked together before."

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you all!" Serena said. She then introduced her other friends and boyfriend to the two men.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Yagurama said.

"Yes," Kageyama nodded. "Well, we have to go."

"Next time, maybe we'll have a rematch at the arcade," Yagurama said before the both of them walked away.

"They seem like an interesting pair," Darien commented.

"But what's with the missing sleeves?" Raye asked.

"They just have their own sense of style," Yagami said. Of what he heard about the Hoppers from Kagami and Tendou, they weren't exactly sane but they were powerful allies, for now. He just hoped that he didn't do anything that would cause them to go after him.

Turning their attention back to where they were headed, the friends made their way to the bus stop. They didn't have to wait long before their mode of transportation finally showed up. Unfortunately, the driver had taken one look at them and frowned slightly.

"Uh..sorry folks," the driver spoke up. "There's only enough room left for all but one of you. Someone will have to stay behind until the next bus comes."

"What?" Mina gaped. "Oh, come on!"

The sounds of a roaring engine stopped the impending argument for the moment as they saw someone on a motorcycle coming. When the rider came closer, it was revealed to be Haruka. Apparently she had finally finished her races for the day.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked curiously.

"There's only enough room on the bus for all but one of us!" Serena explained with what seemed to almost sound like a whine.

"Oh, is that all?" Haruka laughed. "Why don't I just give one of you a lift then? That will del with your little problem. So, who wants a ride?"

"Ooh!" Serena gasped. "Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Let me ride!" she said enthusiastically, hopping up and down.

Haruka held in chuckle. Bun-head was just cute like that sometimes.

"Are you sure, Serena?" asked Darien in slight concern.

'I'll be fine," Serena insisted with one of her bright smiles. "I've never ridden on a motorcycle before."

"Well then hop on, Bun-Head," Haruka gestured to the back of the bike.

Serena skipped over to the bike and managed to get herself situated on it before grabbing hold of Haruka tightly. Everyone else managed to cram themselves onto the bus. Darien watched Serena with some slight concern. It was really cramp. It was a bit awkward when Lita and Kira were squeezed against each other, face to face, but the brown haired girl smiled and leaned closer and the young Rider placed his hands around her waist. The bus driver shut the doors and put the large vehicle into gear before setting out down the road. Haruka revved her own engines before setting off with her passenger right behind. The bus had to take the normal route as it always did but Haruka knew of a quicker path back to town.

As they drove, Serena noticed a rather pleasant scent that seemed to come off Haruka. It was actually a type of cologne that Haruka preferred to use. Serena thought it was rather nice. Before she could really ask about it though, a large truck came up from behind and pulled up alongside Haruka and Serena. Haruka eyed the large vehicle before it suddenly swerved to try and hit them. Serena cried out as Haruka swerved to avoid being hit.

"Bastards," she hissed. "Hold on, Bun-head!"

Serena could only say 'huh?' before Haruka swerved into the forest. Serena screamed in response. She avoided a large number of trees and finally came to a stop inside a small clearing. Ditching the bike, Haruka pulled Serena into a small group of bushes to hide. It was fortunate that she did because not a moment later a group of men in riding outfits came into the clearing with assorted wrenches or pipes. Haruka remembered them as the men who had tried to get tough with her before.

"Where'd she go?" asked one.

"Her bike's here so she didn't get far," assured another. "We'll get her."

"Teach her to go where she isn't wanted," snarled the third.

Haruka frowned as she heard this. She had dealt with some discrimination before but not to this point. She would have preferred to deal with this alone but now Serena might get caught in the crossfire just for hanging around her and get hurt, badly, or worse. Haruka was considering going out there to fight them when something else caught their attention.

Actually, more like 2 someones.

"You know," a voice spoke. "It never ceases to amaze me how sore some people who have lost can be."

"To go to this level to get back at someone who beat you," snickered another. "It's amazing how low some people will go."

The riders all looked around to see where the voice had come from. One of them started shouting, "Who's there?! Come out and show yourselves like men!"

There was a rustling noise before two figures dropped out of the trees. There were both donned mostly in black with long black coats with a sleeve missing.

"Yaguruma and Kageyama!" Serena squealed excitedly. Haruka just blinked in surprise. Just how did those two get here? When did they get here?

"Then again, Aniki," Kageyama laughed. "We're pretty sore losers ourselves."

"Granted," Yaguruma smiled with a nod. "That is why we must continue winning."

By now the riders had had enough. These two punks had just come out of nowhere and started acting all high and mighty. Each of them figured. that they might as well get warmed up with these two before they taught that Haruka her lesson. They all charged with a united cry towards the two Hoppers.

Both just smirked as they dashed forward to face their opponents. Kageyama planted a fierce uppercut on his first one that sent him sprawling back. He then punched him hard in the gut which made the man double over. Using the man as a stepping stone, Kageyama leaped off his back and towards the rider at the back with a flying punch aimed right at him.

Yaguruma had used a roundhouse kick to make his first opponent dizzy before unleashing a sweep kick to trip him up. When the man was on all fours trying to get up, Yagaruma leaped from his back aiming a flying kick at the third one.

The third guy didn't know what hit him. His buddies were put down in record time before the two punks came at him through the air. One had his arm pulled back for a punch while the other had both legs ready for a devastating kick. When the impact hit him, he started seeing stars even though he had a helmet on.

All of this was watched by Serena and Haruka. Serena was watching with sparkly eyes and commented on how cool Yaguruma and Kageyama were for taking on those guys like that. Haruka just watched in amazement at the skill the two men used to take down those guys. She could have done it too but it would have taken her longer to do it. It seemed that they were used to being outnumbered in some way and their teamwork was impressive. Just one thing had nagged her thoughts. Where had she seen that fighting style before? It was at the back of her mind but she couldn't place it.

Yagurama said, "You can both come out now. It's safe."

Serena and Haruka blinked. How had he known that they were there? They slowly got out from their hiding spot and Serena immediately ran up to the black coated men.

"That was so cool!" she squealed loudly and excitedly. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"When you wander around a lot, you're bound to learn a thing or two," Kageyama commented. One of the fallen riders was trying to get up but Kageyama held him down with his foot. "Nuh uh," he said, wagging his finger.

Haruka bent down and pulled off the guy's helmet. She growled as she stared at him and said, "Okay, listen up, because I'm going to say this once! No one and nobody is going to stop me from ever racing, not even you! Got it!"

"No way, lady!" the guy spat but Yagurama then stepped on his hand. "Ow!"

"I think you should listen to the lady," Yagurama said. "She doesn't seem the type to give in to sore losers like yourself." A kick to his head from Yagurama knocked him out. Serena looked concerned.

"Was that really necessary?" Serena asked. "He was already down for the count."

"True," Yagurama nodded, "But due to the circumstances it had to be done." Yagurama nodded in agreement. Of course, the violent method was the Hoppers' M.O.

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While the beat down on the helmeted morons was going on, Yamada was standing next to his bike looking over some pleasant scenery. He wanted to clear his mind so that he could perform to the best of his abilities for the next race. Taking a deep breath, he continued to empty his mind.

Standing on a cliff face adjacent to him, Kaolinite watched the racer prepared himself. A smirk covered her face as she watched. This one was going to be a perfect target for a talisman. Even f he didn't have a talisman, the attack would just serve to bring Uranus and Neptune. Then Kaolinite would spring her trap and they would be rid of these two troublesome Scouts now and forever.

Holding out her fist, she opened it to reveal a Daimon seed. It instantly came to life and soared through the air and straight into Yamada's motorcycle. His eyes were closed at the time so he didn't notice what had happened. Of course, when his bike started jerking wildly and bursting with some kind of energy, he took notice very quickly. Backing away from his vehicle his face shifted to a look of horror when he watched it change into a monster. Its entire body was black and it had white hair. It had headlights on its chest and a single tire sticking out of its stomach.

"TIYERN!" the monster shrieked with joy.

Yamada wanted to cry out or run but his legs suddenly seemed to be the same density as lead. His eyes were so affixed to the Daimon in front of him, he didn't even notice that there was a woman hovering a few feet above it, looking down on him with an amused smirk.

"Alright, Tiyern," she smiled. "You know what to do."

Tiyern smirked and advanced on her target. From the bushes though, Sailor Neptune was watching through narrowed eyes. As Tiyern prepared to extract the heart of Yamada, she pulled out her communicator and activated it. She just hoped that Haruka was in position to hear it.

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Back at the clearing, Serena and Haruka were trying to get the bike started up again. Well, Haruka was trying while Serena was sitting off to the side. Yaguruma and Kageyama were just lounging against some trees looking at the floorshow. Try as she might though, the bike just refused to start up again.

Haruka sighed as she tried for what felt like the fiftieth time. Maybe getting bumped by that truck had done something. She wasn't in the position to find out at the moment as, suddenly, her thoughts were halted when she saw her communicator going off. Her eyes narrowed when she saw it. It meant that someone was being attacked by a Daimon and Michelle was on the scene. This might be the one to reveal a talisman.

"There's no helping it," Haruka sighed, trying to play cool. "I'll have to go back to see if I can get someone to help. Serena, there's a bus stop not far from here. Kageyama and Yaguruma can see you there."

Serena had wanted to protest but Haruka had simply dashed off without waiting for one. Feeling that something was wrong, she instantly raced after her hoping to catch up. The two Hoppers just watched them go and waited for a minute. Yagurama then stretched and put his hands in his pocket.

"Well," he grinned. "I'd say that something interesting is going on here."

"Should we see just what it is, Aniki?" asked Kageyama.

"Of course," Yaguruma nodded before he and his partner silently followed the two young women. Behind them their Zectors had made an appearance and were silently bouncing behind them.

"STANDBY!"

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It wasn't long before the two calmly found themselves at the battlefield where Sailor Moon had just arrived. Serena and Haruka where nowhere to be seen but then again Yaguruma and Kageyama both agreed that they were not woodsmen at heart so it was very much possible to lose them in the forests.

"It seems things are getting hairy, Aniki," Kageyama noted from their hiding place as Sailor Moon freed Neptune from her prison which the Daimon had created for her. The oddest thing was that it had split itself into two Daimon. The only difference was that one had a headlight over one side of her chest while the other had one on the opposite side. There was no Daimon victim left since he was either dead and the body was disposed of or Neptune had already rescued him and the victim had made tracks.

"Hmmm, indeed they are," Yaguruma agreed as he watched Uranus snapping at Moon for interfering even though she only asked Uranus to help Neptune. He also spied the woman in red floating above with a grin on her face. Something was up. "I'd say it's time we make an appearance, Aibou."

"Hai, Aniki," Kageyamaa grinned as he raised his Zector

"Henshin," both men spoke before snapping the Zectors into place. "HENSHIN!"

"CHANGE KICK HOPPER!"

"CHANGE PUNCH HOPPER!"

Both men changed into the infamous twin Hopper Riders before they both came into view of the opposing sides, which drew the attention of both sides right on them. Kaolinite frowned mightily when she saw them. This was not part of the plan at all. What were they doing here?

"Of all the Riders who had to show up it just had to be you two," Uranus growled. She still hadn't forgiven the two for humiliating her and Neptune by defeating them with only one attack.

"We missed you too," Kick Hopper replied sarcastically, earning him a quiet growl from Uranus. "Let's skip the pleasantries and just get rid of this, shall we? I'll take the left one."

"Then the right is mine!" Punch Hopper laughed before he dashed forward to face one of the Tiyern. Kick Hopper was close behind.

Sailor Moon watched them charge forward and her resolve solidified somewhat, "Okay! Let's do some Daimon busting!"

"I just said don't interfere!" Uranus almost shrieked. "And that goes double for them!"

Uranus dashed to fight the Daimon just as Kick Hopper used an upper roundhouse to send it flying. His danger senses flared and he ducked to avoid a punch from Uranus. He quickly stood back up and cocked his head to the side in mock confusion.

"I think you're aiming for the wrong person," Kick Hopper remarked.

"This is none of your business!" Uranus growled.

"I think otherwise," Kick Hopper replied coolly, which got Uranus' temper flaring again. "There is a Daimon here and it needs to be defeated. If you're going to get upset about things in the past then you should just leave. You'll just be a hindrance."

That did it. Ignoring the Daimon because of her anger, Uranus began attacking Kick Hopper. Kick Hopper just side stepped and dodged her strikes before tripping her up with his boot.

"I'm starting to believe more and more of Zabee's words of you being just a pretender. We both obviously want to defeat this Daimon but right now you let your anger control you. You are not in Perfect Harmony," he said mockingly. The Daimon came at him again and he just planted his foot in her face, sending the monster back again before he went into a heel kick that slammed into her chin. Uranus got up and growled at the green Hopper who was ignoring her in favor of fighting the Daimon.

Sailor Moon exclaimed, "Hello, the Daimon is the enemy here!" she shrieked when one of the motorcycle Daimon came to run her over but was pulled to safety by the silver Punch Hopper. "Thanks."

Punch Hopper nodded wordlessly as he went and fought the Daimon again.

Uranus and Kick Hopper eyed each other with distrust as they fought the Daimon.

"This isn't your fight so stop interfering!" Uranus yelled at him.

"Well, we don't care! We just love to fight!" Kick Hopper retorted.

"Then you're a danger to everyone!" Uranus frowned before dodging an attack.

"Only to those who don't get out of the way!" Kick Hopper replied before planting a kick into the Daimon's back.

Kaolinite watched this exchange of words with even more interest. It seemed that the Hoppers coming may not be such a hindrance after all. The plan would just be changed to include them. After all, defeating two Scouts was all well and good, but adding two Riders to the tally was even better. Looking down to her two Tiyern, she began her order.

"Tiyern!" she shouted. "Initiate the trap for Kick Hopper, Uranus, and Moon!"

"TIYERN!" the two Daimon nodded before the seemed to change themselves into large tires before hurtling towards Kick Hopper, Moon, and Uranus at hurtling speeds. The Hoppers didn't have the Clock Up ability so even they were caught off guard as the Tiyerns raced past. Kick Hopper heard a clamping noise before he noticed something on his wrists; manacles. Both of which were attached to chains that lead to manacles that were attached to Moon and Uranus. The elder Scout was on his left side while the younger was on his right.

"Ah ha ha ha!" Kaolinite laughed. "Let's see you beat Tiyern now!"

She snapped her fingers and one of the Tiyern began racing towards the three at top speed. Uranus and Moon tried to get away but they had tried to get away in opposite directions. Not only did this keep them pinned put it had also pinned Kick Hopper's arms. He couldn't reach his Zector to try a Rider Jump. Tiyern cackled before she made impact with Kick Hopper, sending him, along with Uranus and Moon, to the ground.

"Owchie," Moon whined.

"Rgh!" Uranus growled. "You know you two could try dodging!"

"I would have if two Scouts could agree on a direction to dodge to," Kick hopper spoke, his voice hiding severe malice in it.

"Sorry," Moon frowned. Uranus just 'humphed.'

Tiyern's assaults just continued on. Sometimes they'd hit Kick Hopper, Moon, or Uranus. Kick Hopper managed to deflect her once or twice but not very often. They couldn't mount a proper counterattack for some reason. Well, Moon couldn't summon any of her tools fast enough while Kick Hopper kept finding his arms pinned. Uranus seemed capable but it was her firing hand that she used for her World Shaking that was in the manacle so her firing would be off.

This was all Neptune could bear to watch, "Uranus! You have to run! You have to complete the mission!"

Uranus heard her calls and immediately turned away from the battle and began running. Sailor Moon began protesting while being dragged along. Kick Hopper knew he had the strength to stop her but with her being so uncooperative in battle it would only lead to his destruction.

"Aibou!" he called to his partner. "Keep Neptune from getting herself killed!"

"Hai, Aniki!" Punch Hopper nodded before he started fighting one of the Tyerns.

"Tsk!" Kaolinite frowned. "After them!"

The second Tiyern complied by turning into a tire again before chasing after her quarry. This left Neptune and Punch Hopper alone to face the remaining Tiyern.

"It seems this time we might agree on something," Punch Hopper said as he regarded Neptune. He cracked his knuckles in an anticipation to fight some more. Neptune looked at him worriedly. He and Kick Hopper appeared different to the other Riders. In fact, the twin Hoppers seemed to enjoy fighting above all else and did not let anyone stop them. She, of course, was impressed by their teamwork, seeing how they could tell what the other would be doing without a signal. They were so in sync like Neptune and Uranus.

"Yes," Neptune nodded. No reason to get into an argument with Punch Hopper at the moment. She wasn't worried about Uranus but she was worried about Uranus' aggression towards Kick Hopper and that Moon might get caught in the middle. "Let's do this."

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"Run this way!" Kick Hopper yelled.

"No! This way!" Uranus protested.

"I'm not a yo-yo!" Moon yelled, stuck in the middle. "Make up your mind!"

Kick Hopper saw the Daimon coming and yelled, "JUMP!"

"Huh? What? Woah!?" Moon yelled as she was taken to the air as soon as Kick Hopper and Uranus leapt up to avoid the Daimon. They all landed on their feet except for Moon who landed on her read. "Ow…you should've warned me." She said to Kick Hopper, "Can t you, you know, use that Rider Kick of yours?"

"If I could use my Rider Kick I would," Kick Hopper growled.

"So why don't you?" Uranus snapped.

"Well my hands are shackled and I can't reach my Zector to activate it!"

"Zector?" Uranus then stared at Kick Hopper's belt. She remembered how the other Riders would touch the insect-like implements on their armor and weapons. "Is that what those things are called?"

"Can we play '20 Questions' later!?" Moon yelled. "That Daimon is coming back!"

"Over here!" Kick Hopper called. "There's a cave!"

That was all the incentive the two Scouts needed to follow the green Hopper. All three of them dashed into the cave and tried to muffle any sound they made as Tiyern made her rounds. When it seemed that she was gone, they all breathed a sigh of relief. That was before Moon went and turned on Uranus.

"How could you just leave her like that?!" she shouted. "She's lucky that Punch Hopper's there to help her! Don't you care at all?"

"What do you know?" Uranus snapped. "When we started this we made a promise that if something happened to one of us then the other one will go on and continue searching for the talismans."

"If you think like that then you have doomed your mission to failure," Kick Hopper spoke up. "I speak from experience."

Uranus just glared at the green Rider fiercely. What did he know? He makes it sound like he had made that sort of decision himself.

"What is the big deal about these talisman things anyway?" Sailor Moon frowned. Kick Hopper listened intently. Now seemed like a good time to find out about these talismans that the Deathbusters seemed so determined to get their hands on.

"You don't need to know," was Uranus' reply.

"Heh," Kick Hopper snorted. "More like you don't want more competition."

"What?" Uranus growled, feeling her anger rise at Kick Hopper again.

"You think we don't know how you plan to sacrifice three lives to get these talismans?" Kick Hopper snorted. "Aibou and I may not like many of the other Riders but we do share information. We know that these talismans must be incredibly important but if Kaolinite and the Deathbusters want them then they must be powerful as well. You speak so casually about sacrificing three lives that you seem to know about that power too. You want that power badly."

"Shut up!" Uranus shouted while getting into Kick Hopper's face. "You haven't seen what I've seen! The end of the world is coming and these sacrifices must be made! I don't like it either but it has to be done!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Kick Hopper shrugged. "If you were a real Sailor Scout then you would be trying to find a way to remove these talismans without killing anyone while protecting them from the Deathbusters."

"Aaaargh!" Uranus cried in rage as she attacked Kick Hopper. She was only met with an armored hand gripping her throat and slamming her into the wall.

"Stop!" Sailor Moon cried, trying to play peacekeeper. Kick Hopper didn't reply while Uranus struggled to breathe.

"This attitude you have," Kick Hopper spoke intently, "Sacrificing other for the greater good. It will only lead to failing your mission as I said before. I also once held that belief. To achieve Perfect Harmony one had to get rid of that which was not part of it. I paid for it dearly. I was stripped of everything and saw it given to another. How long do you think you can keep up your acts until your entire world comes crumbling down around your ears?"

Uranus struggled against his grip. She may not be able to see his real eyes through the helmet but she could still see some convictions through the large red eyes of his helmet. Sailor Moon screamed, "Stop it! Stop it! All this fighting is pointless! We all have to work together to get out of this!"

Kick Hopper removed his grip from Uranus' throat and Sailor Moon came to check on her. "You okay?" Uranus looked away in shame.

"I don't need your pity!" she snapped.

"It's not pity," Moon insisted, seeing the bruise around Uranus' neck. She turned to glare at Kick Hopper. "You didn't have to hurt her," Sailor Moon said to the green armored Hopper Rider.

"It was necessary," Kick Hopper retorted, "but you're right about one thing though; we have to work together to bring this Daimon down."

"TIYERN!" a new voice cried.

The two Scouts and one Rider turned to the mouth of the cave and saw one of the Tiyerns standing there with a victorious smirk on her face. The headlight on her chest began glowing as she powered it up. Kick Hopper knew what that meant so he stepped forward. Tiyern then shot a beam of energy which collided with his chest, sending a shower of sparks.

"Kick Hopper!" Sailor Moon cried.

"He's given us an opening!" Uranus grunted as she began moving. "Let's go!"

Using the opening that Kick Hopper had made for them, Uranus and Move moved to the side before Kick Hopper joined them and they dashed past Tiyern and into the forest again. The Daimon just growled before turning into a tire again and sped off after them.

The three fighters just continued to run as they struggled to think of a way out of the situation. That and make sure that they chains didn't get caught on anything that would stop them and let Tiyern get the jump on them again. They made several turns when they heard Tiyern coming closer. Eventually, they broke free of the forest only to find themselves back in the clearing where Punch Hopper and Neptune were fighting the first Tiyern. They had been herded like sheep.

"So glad you can join us," Kaolinite snickered at the slightly stunned trio. "Now you can be the first ones to die!"

She snapped her fingers and the second Tiyern could be heard crashing through the foliage towards her targets. Kick Hopper, Moon, and Uranus turned to see the Daimon coming up quickly from behind. It all quickly donned on them that this was a now or never moment. They had to bury the hatchet for now or regret it in the afterlife. As if by unspoken signal, Moon and Uranus dashed to the right while Kick Hopper moved to the left. The restraints that the manacle put on them were stretched to their limit before Tiyern came crashing through the foliage. Her speed was a little too high so she could not stop herself before crashing into the length of chain, snapping it like tissue paper.

"What?!" Kaolinite cried. How could they work together like that? A few minutes ago the Rider and older Scout looked ready to kill each other.

"That's Aniki for you," Punch Hopper snickered while Neptune breathed a sigh of relief.

"TIYERN!" both Daimon cried before shifting to wheel form and began roaring across the ground at to speeds. The first made her charge at Uranus.

"_Uranus World Shaking!_" Uranus cried and unleashed her attack. The orb of yellow energy collided with the Daimon and disintegrated it. Nothing was left behind. The second Tiyern decided to try her attack and lunged. Fortunately, Sailor Moon was ready with her rod.

"_Moon Heart Spiral Attack!"_ she cried and unleashed her strongest attack.

"GAH! LOVELY!" Tiryern cried before she vanished into smoke and re-emerged as Yamada's bike. The Daimon seed fell to the ground and cracked open, releasing the black specter before it dissolved into the air.

"Why you little-!" Kaolinite snapped, preparing to teleport, but before she brought her hands up to snap her fingers...

"RIDER JUMP!"

"Huh?" she blinked before turning around

Just behind her she could see Punch Hopper standing still as a statue looking up at her as she hovered. She was about to ask just what he thought he was doing when she noticed something green leap up onto his shoulder before jumping an impressive height into the sky. Above her even! The image of Kick Hopper sending a shadow down on her made her gulp in growing fear.

"RIDER KICK!"

She tried to snap her fingers to teleport but gravity was proving too fast for her. Kick Hopper came back down with the force of a ton of bricks before both his feet impacted against her chest.

"Gaaaaahh!" she cried as she fell to the ground, feeling a foreign energy rippling through her body. Was this what the Daimon felt before the Riders had struck them down? Bolts of energy crackled over her limbs as she struggled to stand. Her gaze turned to Kick Hopper and she felt her hatred boil to extreme levels.

"Mark my words, Rider," she spat, trying to ignore the taste of blood slowly entering her mouth. "This humiliation will not stand!"

With a snap of her fingers, she vanished into thin air. Kick Hopper relaxed his stance before turning to his partner who was walking away from Neptune.

"Think we got her, Aniki?" he asked curiously.

"We'll see, Aibou," Kick Hopper replied.

Neptune fretted over Uranus for a second before the short-haired turned to Sailor Moon and the green Rider, "I have a little more respect for the two of you, but I will not let anything stop us from completing our mission."

"Do whatever you like," Kick Hopper shrugged. "I cannot force you from your path"

With that, Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper left. Moon watched them go before turning back to Uranus and Neptune only to see them gone. Heaving a sigh, she turned to what she remembered was the way to the road and began her journey. She had a long way to go.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Another chapter is ready and I just want to thank ZK Chromedragozoid for helping out in the production. I hope you guys enjoyedd this new chapter.


	13. A Man's Kindness Chad is a Kamen Rider?

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for the enjoyment of it and not for a hefty paycheck. Although I really would take the pay if someone wanted to pay me for making fanfics.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 12: A Man's Kindness. Chad is a Kamen Rider?

Raye sat in her classroom with her head in the clouds. She just couldn't keep her mind on her class at the moment. A lot of things were going through her head at the moment. The newest enemy, the vision she had before the mess all started, and the Kamen Riders

'(Sigh) _The Kamen Riders_,' Raye thought to herself.

So far, they had managed to find out who one of them was; Hakabuto. Lita and Yagami were such a nice couple. Raye had to admit that she was a little envious of them. They could keep going on in their relationship without keeping secrets from each other. Heck, they could even help each other in their Daimon busting activities like Darien would help Serena. Well...Yagami took a more active role but the situation was still the same. He would be there to protect Lita when she needed it like a truly loving boyfriend would.

'_Lita's very lucky,_" Raye smiled to herself as she absently doodled on her paper. '_Maybe I should try to see what my future holds on love after this mess with the Daimon is finished._'

Looking down onto the paper, Raye idly noticed that she had made a doodle of Kamen Ride Drake. It wouldn't win any awards and it was chibi-fied, but one who had seen the sky blue Rider before would be able to tell it was him. He had been appearing on Raye's mind now and then ever since she met him after that incident with Unazuki. He seemed to be very charming and showed concern when he mentioned that he wouldn't like to see her in Unazuki's position. Good thing he didn't know that she had been the first. After hearing that he had shown up when Amy was attacked she felt a bit of disappointment that she had missed him.

Heaving another sigh, Raye pondered why she was acting like this. Was it because she saw two of her fellow Scouts being happy with a man who shared their activities? If it happened for Serena and Lita, could it happen for her as well? A part of her hoped that it would. Being a Scout was great and all but she was a woman too. She needed companionship just as much as the others did. Well, maybe not as much as Amy. That girl practically lived in books, school, and libraries.

Thinking about finding a boyfriend even for a second got Raye thinking about possible candidates. It was a pretty short list. Her activities as a Sailor Scout really cut into her free time. The only people who were on that list were Chad (A good choice but she hated the thought of keeping secrets from him), Haruka (but she was a woman so scratch that idea), Drake (didn't know who he was so that couldn't work), Hakabuto (taken and Lita would not be in the mood to share if her life depended on it), and the other Riders (same problem as Drake).

Raye sighed again before letting that thought drop like a load of bricks. She had other things to think about at the moment and worrying about love was not going to help.

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The day was eventually done for the people of Juuban as they headed to bed for sleep. Only a few people were still awake and doing things that needed to be done. One of these people was Raye as she sat in front of the sacred fire to try and foresee what may be coming. The mention of talismans was constant and she had to find out just what it was that the Deathbusters wanted so badly.

Another one of these people was Chad. He silently waited outside and watched Raye with a bit of concern. She had been at the fires almost instantly after she came home from school. She seemed to be in deep thought. He was a little worried about her. She was concentrating so hard and she seemed to be concerned about something. He idly wondered if it had to do with why one of the temple trees were found uprooted and several feet away like it had gotten up and walked over there. Mr. Hino went on the warpath with sutras to expel evil spirits for almost a week. It didn't stop him from trying to get the high school girls to join the temple as shrine maidens though.

Thinking about recent events, Chad had noticed that a boy was starting to hang out with Raye and her friends. At first he was a little worried that he may try to start dating Raye but soon it seemed that he didn't have an interest in dating any of the girls. Of course, that had changed after the boy and Raye's friend Lita were getting kind of cozy together. When he had heard that the two were dating he had breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that those two had gotten even closer a couple of days ago. With the level they were acting on the lovey-dovey scale, Chad had to wonder if something extreme had happened in the relationship. It had to be something good if they were acting on the level that they were at for a couple.

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Daisuke Kazama (Kamen Rider Drake) walked up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. Back in their (the Riders) home universe, Daisuke would often frequent temples to pray and well, when he went to the altar to pray he pressed his hands together and said, "I wish to meet a beautiful flower today." That was just like Daisuke to think of pretty women. He thought of women as flowers and he was the wind to make them bloom. He took his profession as a makeup artist quite seriously since he thought of it as his responsibility to make them even more lovelier than before.

On his way to the Shrine, he had performed makeup miracles for several girls. He enjoyed seeing women smile as he did his magic.

He still missed Gon, his little sidekick, however. Just how would she cope without him. Alright, granted that she had found her mother but Daisuke saw the little girl as a little sister to him. He kept forgetting her real name and chose to call her Gon at all times. It was just easier for him to remember.

This world had a lot of beautiful women, the Sailor Scouts included. He just wanted so much to use his makeup skills on them.

He finished his prayers, rung the bell and was ready to leave when he noticed something off to the side. It seemed to be a young man peering into one of the buildings of the shrine. If what Daisuke had heard about the Hikawa Shrine was true then someone was doing a fire reading and so far he knew that only the priestess here could do it.

'Seems like young love to me,' he smiled to himself. He then decided to watch to see what would happen.

He noticed that an old man of diminutive stature was slowly creeping up behind the young man. Daisuke could see where this was going as the old man tapped the by on the shoulder. When he turned around, the old man's face seemed to have frightened him, if the loud scream and tumbling over was of an indication anyway. Daisuke chuckled at the antics. He wanted to see how this turned out.

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Chad thought he was going to have a heart attack for a minute. Seeing Mr. Hino's face illuminated like it was in candlelight made him cry out in terror before falling to the ground. Of course, he clamped his mouth shut, hoping that he didn't break Raye's concentration. Seeing that she was still staring into the flames, Chad allowed himself to remove his hands from his mouth.

"My, my, Chad," the old man smiled. "What are you doing out here so late at night and looking so intently upon?"

Chad blushed at what Mr. Hino was insinuating. He quickly went on the defensive faster than a French Infantryman, "It's not like that at all! Really! I'm just worried about Raye's health. That's all!"

Mr. Hino glanced into the room and spied his granddaughter working at the flames, "Hmm. She has been working like that a lot lately, working into all hours of the night."

Chad frowned slightly as he looked inside. Now that was something to worry about. Was she getting enough sleep?

"Oh well," Mr. Hino smiled. "Raye is a strong girl. Besides, it's not as if she would stop even if we asked her to."

Chad wanted to protest but Mr. Hino held a finger up to silence him.

"I am not entirely sure what Raye is trying to see but we can at least respect her and let her continue until she is satisfied," he spoke before continuing on his way. "So we have nothing to worry about!"

Chad watched the laughing old man continue walking away. He knew that Mr. Hino may say that now but it didn't quell some of his concerns.

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Daisuke just watched the young man continue to look into the room where no doubt the lovely young woman he had heard about was doing one of her readings. Daisuke just loved the drama that was unfolding and so far no one was the wiser that he was even watching. Of course, that changed when he spied someone walking up the stairs.

"Ah," Daisuke smiled, "New Guy."

"Yo," Yagami waved as he took a seat next to his fellow Rider. "What brings you out here?"

"Just my daily routine," Daisuke replied. "You?"

"Kagami was being his annoying self again and Tendou was being...Tendou," Yagami sighed. "I needed some air and remembered that this place to be rather peaceful, at night especially."

"I agree," Daisuke nodded. "However, we are being treated to a rather interesting drama tonight."

"Oh?" Yagami asked before Daisuke pointed over to where he recognized Raye did her fire readings. He also recognized Chad peering into the entrance.

"Now what's Chad doing out here this late?" Yagami wondered.

"Friend of yours?" asked Daisuke.

"Friend of a friend really," Yagami replied. "He helps out around here and Raye seems to like him. I've never talked to him personally."

"Well, it would appear that Chad is quite enamored with your friend Raye."

"Well, what's not to like?" Yagami commented. "She's a great girl, well when she's not arguing with Serena. Anyway, thanks for saving Amy."

"It is the duty of a person like myself to protect the lives of beautiful women," Daisuke said, sighing. "You know, I would like to personally meet this Lita person you've been dating. She must be a really great girl since you like her a lot."

Yagami blushed and rubbed the back of his head and then said, "Yeah, she is. I don't feel too lonely here with her around."

"Ah, young love," Daisuke said wistfully. "Oh, how I envy you. I wish to one day find the one woman that I will love with all my heart."

Yagami sweat-dropped. Were all the Riders this weird? "Yeah, well, I bet you will…someday."

Both men watched as Chad stepped inside to talk to Raye about something. They couldn't quite hear what was being said but that didn't stop them from getting closer. They heard Raye and Chad exchange words, something about keeping hair from getting burned, before the young man in question stepped back outside and closed the door behind him.

"It's no good," he sighed to himself. "There's just no stopping her. I'm powerless."

"Yo!" Yagami smiled as he and Daisuke stepped closer.

"AHH!" Chad cried before leaping back. "You guys scared me! Hey, you're that Kira guy, right?"

"That's right," Yagami nodded. "I saw you around here so I thought I'd introduce myself. This is Daisuke by the way."

"Greetings," Daisuke smiled pleasantly while tipping his hat.

"Hello to you too," Chad nodded before growing silent. "Hey, Kira, could I ask...a question?"

"By all means," Yagami shrugged while leaning against a support pillar.

"Do you know what's been bugging Raye lately?" Chad asked. "She's been at the sacred fires almost non-stop for a while now. She only really stops for sleep, school, and study sessions with you and the others."

That was a tough one to ponder. Yagami knew very well what was probably bugging her; the Deathbusters and their Daimon. They had been a thorn in everyone's sides for some time now. Raye was most likely trying to find a clue with her sacred flames.

"Well," Yagani began. "That's a hard question to answer. Raye's very professional so she separates what she needs to do from everything else when she does it."

Chad nodded in agreement. He had witnessed it several times since he started working at the Hikawa Shrine. Raye did go at her tasks with everything she had and blocked out a number of things while doing so.

Yagami continued, "The best answer I can give you is that she's just looking for some answers to some important questions that she has. I wouldn't get too worried about it."

Chad frowned slightly. Kira had a point there. He still didn't like how Raye was putting herself through this but if she was this determined then what could he do?

"You know," Daisuke spoke up. "I may not know Raye as well as the two of you, but I do know enough to recognize this type of situation. Chad, do you trust Raye?"

"Of course I do!" Chad replied heatedly. "I believe in her!"

"Then why are you so worried?" Daisuke asked. "She is obviously very experienced with her skills and no doubt knows her own limits. Why worry?"

"I guess," Chad sighed as he looked to the door, thinking of Raye in that room alone. "I guess that's the type of guy I am."

"And a type that Raye is very lucky to have in her life," Daisuke smiled before stepping into the courtyard. "And now, I must go. What about you, New Guy?"

"I'll hang out here for a while," Yagami shrugged. "I need to clear my head before I head back to the crazy house."

Daisuke just chuckled before heading to the stairs. Yagami rubbed the back of his neck as he took a seat by one of the temple trees and began staring into the night sky. Chad just watched the two men do their thing. He idly wondered how they could be so well spoken for, but he also now knew just why Yagami was with someone like Lita now.

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Within his underground laboratory, Professor Tomoe was hard at work with his newest Daimon seed. He tirelessly added the chemicals that mixed together before the beaker they were in shattered from the reaction. What now stood there was a fully developed Daimon seed ready for use.

"Glories," the Professor smiled as he nuzzled the seed like a newborn child. "This...this is the ultimate creation of chemistry."

"One could call it a living art form," Kaolinite added from her position behind the Professor.

"Exactly!" The Professor grinned before he turned around. "A living art form! One that I have poured my body and soul into!"

His grin then turned sour as he stared at Kaolinite, "But you, Kaolinite...you make a waste of every Daimon seed that I see fit to give you! Every single time!"

"Please calm yourself, Professor," Kaolinite spoke soothingly as the Daimon seed fell into a container that she was holding to carry it. "My plan, which is based on precise calculations, is also a form of art. Until now I have faced interruptions that have been outside my calculations. I have properly anticipated anything. I will get the talismans that will get us the Holy Grail."

"That's right," the Professor chuckled. "The power to end this world and bring in the darkness. Out time limit is quickly approaching. Go, Kaolinite."

Kaolinite made a brief bow before she vanished, leaving her lab coat to fall to the ground.

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The trains rolled on past as Raye watched them go in a daze. She yawned loudly as she tried to get her thoughts in order and stay awake.

"I've staying up too late," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe I should skip the study session today."

The trains finally passed and the guardrails rose. Raye then continued on her way to school. As she was walking, she didn't notice that someone had been following her. Not surprisingly, it was Chad. He had been out getting some groceries when he spotted her walking to school. He was a little concerned for her so he had followed her to make sure she was alright.

"Raye has got to be tired from last night," Chad muttered to himself in concern.

"Raye has got to be tired from last night," a female voice spoke from behind Chad. It was then that Serena stepped out from behind in a thinking pose. "Chad said as he silently watched over the walking figure of Raye."

Chad flinched as he realized he was busted. And not just by anyone either. He had been busted by one of Raye's friends who would no doubt tell her what she had found out today. He didn't like how Serena's eyes were sparkling either.

"Oh, Chad," she smiled. "You want to watch over someone you love forever, don't you? Uh-huh, I can understand how you feel."

Chad started blushing at the insinuation but he didn't know what to say. Serena on the other hand, still had plenty of things to say.

"Oh, Chad you're making me jealous!" Serena smiled brightly. "You must be the best guy in Japan!"

Chad scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "It…it's not that big a deal," Of course, he then realized what he was saying. "N-no! I mean that's not it at all. I'm just worried about Raye."

"Worried?" Serena asked, now forgetting her friendly teasing.

"Yes," Chad nodded. "Lately she's been saying that she can concentrate more at night and is cutting back on her sleep. She's been trying to see something and I'm afraid that it will start affecting her health. I've asked your friend Kira what was wrong and he said that Raye had some personal questions but I'm still worried."

"Oh I see how it is," Serena smiled mischievously, "Not even doctors or hot springs can help with THAT."

"You...you know what this is about?" Chad asked hopefully.

"Of course I do!" Serena smiled. "I am a girl after all! It's simple! Raye's worried about love!"

"EH?!" Chad gaped. "Love?! Why on earth should she worried about that?!"

"Well, it could be a lot of things," Serena smiled. "I mean, I have my Darien and now Lita has got Kira who comes to our study sessions and they cuddle when they aren't working. I'll bet that Raye is just looking to the future to see if she'll be happily married to you, Chad."

"R-R-Raye...and m-m-me?" Chad stuttered. "M-m-married?!"

"Ooooh! You're blushing!" Serena giggled. "Oh, I'm so jealous! I want to live the rest of my life with my Darien!"

Chad was dumbfounded. Was Raye really searching for a future with him? It was too good to be true!

"Oooh! Now I'm all embarrassed!" Serena squealed. "Ah well. I don't want to be late for school. Just don't tell Raye what I told you!"

With that, Serena skipped off. Chad just continued standing on the spot with a stupid grin on his face. After a moment he actually burst into tears.

"Raye...and I," he sputtered. "YEAH! This is what being young is all about!"

What he didn't notice were the people walking past him thinking he was crazy and sending unsure glances in his direction.

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The trams moved along the tracks on schedule as they did every morning. The people inside went about their daily business and their normal lives. It didn't appear that there was anything foul going on at the moment. On top of the tram though, that was another matter altogether.

Kaolinite sat on top of the tram like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her legs were crossed and it seemed that she was enjoying her little ride. The wind sent her red hair flying in all directions. With a small smirk, she opened the container which held the Daimon seed and released it. The Seed shot forward and embedded itself into the tram.

"There," she smiled. "Nothing left to do but wait for someone with a pure heart."

She was about to teleport when she felt a sharp sting run through her body. Opening her blouse slightly, her torso was revealed to be wrapped in bandages. Remnants from Kick Hoppers assault on her. Her ribs were close to the breaking point and her internal organs had taken a nasty hit. When her compatriots had taken a look at her, they were amazed to see that only one kick had done this. If any more force had been applied then her innards could have been liquefied and that would have been the end of her.

"Never again," she muttered with a frown. "I will not underestimate them again."

With that, she teleported to a waiting point so that she could rest until the Daimon would awaken and call her.

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Chad was in a great mood as he walked back to the shrine. If what Serena said was true then he might just have that future with Raye that he had been hoping for. He didn't have to worry anymore! If Raye saw their future in the fires then he would be sure that he could get the courage to ask her out eventually! Was there anything that could ruin his day?

"Te hee hee hee," he heard Raye giggle.

Chad stopped in his tracks. He looked up ahead and saw Raye talking to some blonde guy and looking a lot more like the typical schoolgirl rather than the serious young woman that she usually looked like to everyone else.

"You look a little worn out," the boy commented.

"Oh, it's nothing," Raye smiled. "Just some late night readings. It's nothing."

"If you're sure," the boy shrugged. "How about I give you a ride to school? I'm heading in that direction anyway."

"Okay!" Raye smiled excitedly before hopping on the bike and grabbing a spare helmet that the boy handed to her.

That was all Chad could take. Sinking into despair, he began making his way back to the temple. He could take a hint. Raye had already gotten a boyfriend and it wasn't him. He might as well give up now.

'_I knew it was too good to be true_," he sighed inwardly.

As Chad walked slowly in depression, he didn't notice that someone had witnessed the entire ordeal. Daisuke blinked as he watched the depressed young man walk away.

"Hmm," Daisuke pondered. "I wonder if he mistook Miss Tenoh for a man too?"

Looking back to Haruka and Raye, he noticed that the young shrine maiden was trying her hair back so to keep it from getting too frazzled by the wind. Daisuke had heard snippets of their conversation and Haruka had seemed to have asked where Raye had gotten the hair tie from. Raye's only reply was that it was her good luck charm. With that, the two on the bike then took off.

"I think we have a slight misunderstanding," Daisuke smirked. "How interesting."

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The day wore on for everyone and soon the Scouts in civilian form and one golden Rider were all at the Hikawa Shrine in one of their usual study groups. Everything seemed to be going as expected. Serena inhaled whatever snacks she could get while Amy poured over her work and answered any questions that the others might have. Mina would ogle boys in a magazine every so often when she would take a break. Lita and Kira sat next to each other and sometimes one would give the other's hand a squeeze. Only Raye seemed to be off her game. She would occasionally slump slightly and her eyes would droop.

"Hey, Raye," Mina finally spoke. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Raye blinked sleepily. "Oh, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Raye's thinking about love," Serena smiled brightly.

Raye didn't seem to hear as she stood up and muttered something about washing her face before leaving the room. The other girls then turned to Serena to see just what the heck she was talking about.

"What do you mean 'thinking about love'? " asked Mina. "How do you know?"

"Oh, it's just a feeling," Serena smiled.

"Oh?" asked Lita. "And when have your 'feelings' ever been right when it came to guessing things?"

"Hey!" Serena frowned.

"They were dead wrong when it came to yesterday's test and what would be on it," Amy spoke up logically.

"Hey, come on!" Serena whined. "I know I'm right this time!"

Lita shook her head before whispering in Yagami's ear that she would be back in a minute. Nodding, he let go of Lita's hand and she exited the room. She then waited outside the door until she saw Raye coming back while toweling her face off with a washcloth.

"Hmmm," Lita pondered as she looked at Raye's face. "Sure doesn't look like you're thinking about love to me."

"Huh?" Raye blinked again before smiling. "Oh, I'm not worrying about anything like that."

"Then what?" Lita pressed.

"I'm not sure yet," Raye sighed as she got a downcast look. "I just keep getting hints and stuff. I'm not sure what to make of it."

"Oh," Lita nodded. "Well, just remember that the Sailor Scouts are behind you all the way, the Kamen Riders too. Well, Hakabuto for sure."

"Yeah," Raye smiled before it turned mischievous. "But, I think he's only here for you. 'Thinking about love', you'd sure know about that. Especially with you and Kira snuggling every chance you get."

"Um," Lita blushed furiously. "Y-yeah, so? Couples do that."

Raye giggled at seeing her friend blush like that. It was nice to see that Lita and Yagami's feelings were still going on strong. She loved to tease them sometimes. Darien wasn't around enough for them to tease him and Serena like that.

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The night wore on and Chad could be found running around town. He needed some time to think. He just wanted to know who the guy was that Raye was seeing. Chad had never seen the guy before today and Raye had never even mentioned a boyfriend before. Well, her grandfather's reaction would be reason enough not to but she hadn't even dropped a hint. Where had he come from? How long had he known Raye? How long had they been dating? He had a lot of questions running through his head.

As he was running up some stairs, he began hearing violin music. Looking to the top of the stairs he saw an attractive woman playing the instrument with enough skill to match masters. Chad couldn't help but be entranced. The music was that good. Beside her though, was the guy that Raye had been with earlier. They were talking to each other and Chad could tell that they had a couple vibe around them. That pushed him towards one conclusion. This guy was two-timing Raye! Deciding to duck behind a nearby tree, Chad stood still so he could be able to find any more incriminating evidence. While he was trying to listen though, someone had noticed him and walked closer.

"Yo!" Yagami spoke in his hear, which almost caused Chad to cry out in fright again. Instead he grabbed Kira by the shoulders and pulled him behind the tree.

"Would you be quiet!?" he hissed. "I think that that guy up there is two-timing Raye!"

"Huh?" Yagami blinked. "Since when is Raye seeing someone?"

"I saw them together today," Chad explained hurriedly. "He's up there right now with another woman and you can tell that they are seeing each other!"

"You sure about that?" Yagami asked with a degree of suspicion.

"I am," Chad insisted. "Take a look!"

Yagami was still suspicious but if Chad was telling the truth then there was no way he could let it keep going. Tip-toeing past him, Yagami looked up to the two people who were still conversing at the top of the stairs. He recognized them instantly.

"Haruka and Michelle?" he blinked in confusion.

"You know those two?!" Chad gasped as he yanked Yagami back by the neck of his shirt.

"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "They're friends. I wouldn't worry though."

"Not worry?!" Chad raged silently. "That cad up there is two-timing Raye! She's your friend! Don't you care?!"

"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "But Haruka is a woman. You wouldn't be the first person she fooled. Plus we know that Raye is straight as an arrow."

"Oooh! When I get my hands on that...," Chad ranted before he stopped to process what he had heard. "Wait. Did you say that Haruka was a woman?"

"As to my knowledge," Yagami replied. "Raye knows too so I wouldn't worry about her trying to go out with Haruka. They're just friends."

"So then," Chad gulped. "Those two up there...?"

"All the signs point to a yes," Yagami nodded, knowing what Chad was going to ask. "They hadn't openly admitted it with words, but I don't think they have to. With the way the act around each other anyway."

"So then Raye...?" Chad gulped, sweat-drops forming on his head.

"Isn't attracted to Haruka in the romantic sense," Yagami replied. "You didn't do anything stupid did you?"

"No," Chad muttered in a hollow voice. "I...I gotta go."

"You going to be okay?" Yagami asked in concern.

"I...I gotta go...someplace to think," Chad replied as he started walking away. "I'll...see you around."

Yagami watched the young man leave. He knew that he wasn't okay but there wasn't any way he was going to be of any help if Chad didn't want him to help. He just hoped he didn't do anything dumb.

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The next day's study session was pretty much the same as yesterdays. Raye was still a little droopy in her attempts with the sacred flame while everyone else had been doing their own thing while studying. As Raye's sleep addled mind looked over some historic texts, a question that her grandfather wanted to ask her friends came to her mind.

"Hey, have any of you seen Chad?" she asked with a yawn. "We haven't seen him all day and we don't think he came home last night."

"What?" Yagami stiffened as he heard the question.

"Do you know something, Kira?" asked Lita.

"Uh...I might," Yagami nodded, getting a bad feeling. "I saw him last night. He was pretty mad for a while until he calmed down. After that he was depressed."

"What?" Raye asked, fully awake and now very concerned, "Why was he angry?"

"Well," Yagami frowned. "Yesterday he saw you with Haruka, Raye. He actually thought she was your boyfriend thanks to her habit of cross-dressing."

"He WHAT?!" the girls gasped.

"Gets worse," Yagami cringed. "Last night I spotted him spying on Haruka and Michelle while they were having some kind of midnight meeting for some reason or another. He thought Haruka was cheating on you."

"He did?" Raye gasped, unsure of what to think at the moment.

"I managed to calm him down and explain Haruka's little habits," Yagami reassured. "He said he didn't do anything stupid but I thought he came straight back here. He just said he needed some time to think."

"Oh, no!" Raye gasped as she stood up. "That idiot! We have to find him!"

"That's right!" Mina agreed. "His heart has been hurt and it's up to us, Soldiers of Love and Justice, to find him and mend it!"

"Um, I'm a Kamen Rider," Yagami weakly mumbled. He felt a little responsible for Chad walking out like he did.

"Well you're going to help us anyway!" Serena said firmly. "Let's go!"

The five girls nodded and raced from the room, dragging one hapless Kamen Rider behind them.

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Chad blinked as he checked his surroundings. He recognized it as the train station. He remembered running around a bit more the previous night before sitting down at the train station to rest and catch his breath. He must have fallen asleep. When he checked his watch he noticed that he had slept most of the day away! Mr. Hino was going to kill him!

"Enjoy your sleep?" someone asked from beside him.

"WAAAAGH!" Chad cried as he lumped slightly and saw who was talking to him. "Oh, Daisuke, it's just you."

The make-up artist/Rider smiled at the sight, "I take it that you have some troubles. One doesn't sleep most the day away on a bench just for the fun of it."

"No kidding," Chad sighed. He considered telling Daisuke his problems. He was friends with Kira and that guy seemed okay. He even kept him from doing something incredibly stupid like challenging Haruka to a fight or something. "I guess you can say I have something like women problems."

"Well, I happen to have a spare minute and I do know a fair share about the beautiful flowers called women," Daisuke nodded. "Let's hear it."

"Fine," Chad agreed. "Yesterday I thought Raye had gotten a new boyfriend so I figured my chances with her were shot."

"I saw that," Daisuke spoke up. "You looked none too pleased."

"You were there?" Chad blinked before shrugging. "Anyway, last night I saw him...I mean her with another woman. At first I thought Haruka was cheating on Raye but I then saw Kira and he explained everything to me."

"New Guy does seem to be there when someone needs him," Daisuke laughed. "So what is the problem? It seems that New Guy prevented you from doing something you'd regret."

"Nothing like that," Chad sighed. "When he explained it to me and I got a moment of clarity, I realized that I had stopped trusting Raye. I didn't even consider how she was playing into this mess and how she might react to any of this. Though, by now, Kira probably already told her."

"An interesting problem," Daisuke agreed. "Well, I am no expert when it comes to this degree of a problem from a man's view, but what I can tell you is that Raye may not see it the way you do. What you call not trusting she may call being a good friend. No man on Earth knows how the female mind works entirely. You'll just have to find her and see what she thinks.

A train pulled into the station as Chad nodded. "I guess you're right. First though, I need to get something to eat. I know this cool restaurant down at another station. Sounds really good right about now."

Daisuke nodded as he watched Chad walk up to the train. When the young man placed his hand on it, that was when strange things started happening. The entire vehicle started floating up into the air just as Chad had backed away. Daisuke watched in amazement but he still pulled out his Drake Grip in preparation to transform. Chad could only watch in horror.

The train began shifting and mutating until it had taken on a female form. Her skin was a pale green and her eyes a deep yellow. She also had pink hair. She was dressed in a conductor's uniform with train wheels on her wrists and ankles. She also had a whistle sticking out of her mouth.

"All aboard!" the Daimon smiled dangerously.

Above the chaos, Kaolinite teleported into view with a smile on her face, "Finally, someone with a pure heart finally appeared."

Daisuke wasn't about to let this Daimon finish what he started and he was about to raise his Grip so he could summon his Zector but the Daimon already saw him moving before she reacted.

"Sorry!" she smiled. "Only room for one!"

She then blew on her whistle which sent waves of sonic energy which crashed into the ceiling of the station. Rubble fell and Daisuke struggled to get out of the way. Unfortunately, a chink of it managed to hit him in the head and knock him out.

"Daisuke!" Chad cried in shock.

"Hmm," Kaolinite smiled. "Now, let's get this done."

The Daimon winked cutely before she put her arms behind her head. On the underside of her arm was the black star symbol of the Deathbusters. It crackled to life with energy before firing. Chad was more concentrated on Daisuke's condition then being frozen with fear so he managed to leap to the side and watch the black beam splash harmlessly on the ground.

"Hey!" the Daimon growled. "No fair!"

"Tsk!" Kaolinite frowned. "Just hold still!"

"Like heck I will!" Chad shouted before grabbing hunks of rubble and hurling it at the Daimon.

"Hey! Ow! Watch it! Ouch!" it cried in girlish frustration.

Chad then gripped what he thought was another piece of rubble and reared back his arm to throw it. What he didn't know was that he had taken hold of the Drake Grip. As he brought his arm back to throw it, something amazing happened.

"STANDBY!"

He had activated it.

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Raye wasn't sure where she was going to look first. Chad could have been anywhere by now. She and the others had split up to cover more ground and hopefully find him before something happened. She stopped for a moment before she saw a light come from the train station. Deciding that it might be important she started running over there. Her speed only quickened when she saw a part of the roof explode. As she got closer, she started hearing a buzzing noise coming up alongside her. Turning to see what it was, she was extremely surprised to see a robotic dragonfly buzzing alongside her. If she remembered right, that was the one for Drake! She arrived at the train station and stopped in surprise at what she was seeing. She could see Chad in a crouching position near a small pile of rubble with a man underneath. In front of him were a new Daimon and the lady that Yagami had told them was named Kaolinite. What was even more shocking was that the Dragonfly Zector was flying straight for something that Chad was holding in his hand!

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For its own part, the Dragonfly Zector was a little confused. Its primary wielder had been incapacitated and this new person was holding its Grip. Quickly initiating its scans, the Zector deliberated whether or not this human was considered worthy of being a Rider. After a moment of scanning as it flew closer, the Zector found that this human had a number of things in common with it's primary wielder, just enough for a proper activation. With this in mind, the Zector filed this person away as 'Kamen Rider Drake the Second.'

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Chad was now frozen stiff. He had no idea that Raye was watching right now. All he knew was that he had frozen when the whatever-it-was he was holding had started talking to him. The Daimon and the lady in red seemed to hear it too. They were both suddenly unsure what to do and what would happen. Of course, the latter was answered when a buzzing noise erupted from apparently nowhere and was soon revealed to be a robotic dragonfly of some kind. The lady in red's eyes seemed to grow wider in shock as it buzzed around Chad's head.

"It can't be," she whispered. "Of all the people..."

The dragonfly just made one final circle around Chad's head before hovering closer to the handle that Chad was holding. After another second it lowered itself down before securing itself to the handle, making the weapon that it was a part of.

"HENSHIN!"

Chad started sweating nervously when he started hearing it talk again but that was nothing compared to when the hexagonal field started covering his body. He wanted to cry in horror but no sound would come out. He calmed down somewhat when he realized that he wasn't being hurt by whatever was covering him. When it had covered him entirely, he realized that he was in a suit of armor that was mostly a sky blue over a black bodysuit. He slowly stood up and kept a careful eye on the two women (if you could call them that) in front of him.

For her own part, Raye thought she was going to have a heart attack or something like it. She could hardly believe it but the proof was right in front of her. She never would have even suspected it but she had seen it happen. Chad was Kamen Rider Drake!

"A Rider!" Kaolinite gasped. She remembered how Drake and Kabuto had gotten in the way of her claming Amy's heart and snarled. "Well, this time, you're going to suffer!"

"What?" Chad said, confused. He had heard about the Kamen Riders and looked at the gun in his hand. As the Daimon came running at him he took a step back but then tripped on some of the rubble. He accidentally pulled the trigger and shot the Daimon in the chest and stomach. Chad dropped on the ground, groaning in pain but then realized what he just did. He didn't question it however as he held the gun with both hands and continuously shot at the Daimon. What he didn't know was that his hand was close to the 'Cast Off' switch of the Zector and when he rose up to continue shooting at the Daimon he accidentally tugged it.

"CAST OFF!"

Chad gasped again as he felt an electrical jolt rush through his body and the armor loosened itself before shooting off his body, parts of it slamming into the Daimon who was sent staggering back by the force.

"CHANGE DRAGONFLY!"

Chad decided to just wing it and continues to shoot at the Daimon as he charged with a battle-cry, "YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" He felt a lot lighter now after casting off the Masked Form armor.

Raye for her part couldn't even bring herself to blink as she watched the battle. All this time and she had no clue that Chad was a Kamen Rider. She wasn't even thinking about changing to Sailor Mars. She was in awe as she watched Chad fight. He was so good at it! Making space for himself while the Daimon charged before shooting it. Then, using the distraction to get rid of his bulky Masked Form armor. She then watched as Chad charged forward while continuing to fire at the Daimon, her heart beating a little quicker than usual.

Kaolinite on the other hand was far from happy. The one person with a pure heart that showed up just had to be a Kamen Rider! Well, he had a pure heart and she was not going to leave empty handed!

"Forget about fighting him and just get the heart crystal!" she snapped at the Daimon.

"Yes Ma'am!" the Daimon nodded before jumping into the air and raising her arms again. The black star came to life again before firing a black beam of energy. This time, Chad didn't get out of the way in time. It impacted against the centre of his chest.

"CHAD!" Raye cried in horror.

"Hmm," Kaolinite smiled in satisfaction. That is, until she noticed that something was wrong. "What's wrong with you!? Pull out his heart!"

"I'm trying!" the Daimon replied. "I can't get it!"

It was true. The black energy was just splashing off the Rider armor without any harm being dealt to the one inside. Chad decided that this was a good moment to fight back so he started shooting back on the Daimon. It had to release its beam before it began to take any more damage.

"So you want to play rough?" the Daimon frowned. "Okay!"

It suddenly dropped to all fours on the railway tracks so that its wheels were connected to the perfectly. Now confused, Chad just watched and waited for her next move.

"I'll run you down!" the Daimon shrieked before racing forward at an almost impossible speed. It was too fast for Chad to effectively react against.

"Waagh!" he cried as he tried to run from the speeding Daimon.

As he tried to outrun the Daimon, his hand fell across his belt buckle. This action immediately activated another of the handy functions that the Riders were privy to.

"CLOCK UP!"

Chad suddenly felt a strange sensation before he stopped running. Turning around, he noticed that the Daimon had stopped moving. At first he thought it was a trap but then he noticed that the gravel it had been kicking up while moving had stopped in midair. The same could be said for the birds which were fleeing from the scene.

"Did I...stop time?" Chad asked himself.

He dared another glance at the Daimon and poked her face. No reaction whatsoever. Drake then realized that he had an incredible advantage at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he started laying punch after punch on the Daimon. He had no clue whatsoever that the armor was augmenting and enhancing his strength but he wouldn't have cared at the moment. When he felt like he'd had enough, he stepped in front of the Daimon again and started shooting at her. He didn't know that he had passed his hand over his belt buckle again.

"CLOCK OVER!"

"Waaaagh!" the Daimon cried in pain as she was flipped onto her back from the punches and the gunshots.

Raye just blinked at what she had seen. Chad had only blurred for a second before the Daimon was sent hurtling back in pain. He was a total master of the Clock Up system!

"What just happened?" Chad muttered to himself. Thinking about it for a moment, he just shrugged and decided to start advancing on the Daimon.

Of course, she didn't take this lying down, "PHWEEEEEEEET!!"

More concussive sound waves burst from her whistle and collided with Chad's chest. The force of which sent him back. From the position that he landed, the wings of his Zector folded together. Seeing Chad in pain, the Daimon got to her feet and began to saunter over to him to try and get his heart again.

Drake just shook his head to get the stars out of it. Looking to check his gun he noticed the wings were folded together and that he had a scope now.

"Might need one," he muttered to himself before snapping the wings down so that he could see through the scope properly.

"RIDER SHOOTING!"

Chad turned himself over and aimed at the advancing Daimon. Using the scope he took careful aim at the Daimon's heart, or where it might be anyway. The Daimon flinched when she saw the growing sphere of energy coming out of the end of the gun. Chad was concentrating too hard so he didn't notice until he pulled the trigger.

"End of the line!" the Daimon shrieked before she was engulfed by the blast. Black smoke was all that remained before the tram reappeared on the tracks. The Daimon seed fell from near the top and cracked open on the ground before releasing the black specter into the sky.

"Grrr!" Kaolinite frowned. "I...will not...let this...stand!"

She was mad enough to spit nails and she just knew that she had the power to destroy one Rider, but with her current injuries, fighting might aggravate them. So instead she snapped her fingers and teleported.

Seeing that all the enemies were gone, Chad just let himself collapse on his back with relief, "Phew! That was intense!"

"CHAD!" a voice cried.

"Huh?!" Chad gasped while sitting up. He looked to the source and saw Raye staring at him with wide eyes. "Ahhh! Raye! I-I I mean, I think you have the wrong person!"

"Please don't lie, Chad," Raye spoke quietly. "I saw you change."

"You did?!" Chad gasped. "I well...I, um,"

He wanted to tell Raye that this armor wasn't his but when he looked to see where Daisuke had been, he just found that the man in question was gone. Looking back to Raye, he just saw that she was stepping closer. She stopped right in front of him before wrapping her arms around his torso in a hug.

"Thank you for caring," she whispered. "You really thought Haruka was my boyfriend, didn't you?"

"I...well," Chad tried to get out, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. This was not what he expected Raye's first words to be.

A snapping noise caught his attention before he noticed the Zector unfolding itself before releasing itself from the grip. It took a look at Chad before leaving. The hexagonal field returned and this time stripped the armor off Chad and returned him to normal. He looked down to see Raye smiling at him.

'_What am I going to do?_' he moaned inwardly.

The Zector buzzed past a wall to the station before stopping for a moment to see Daisuke leaning against the wall with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll get it back. If I went to get it now I'd reveal my secret. Now would not be the best time to reveal myself as Drake yet. Besides, I was thinking of taking a vacation anyway."

The Zector seemed to understand before it dipped in what seemed like a nod. It then flew off into the sky and out of sight.

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Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune had watched the battle between Chad and the Daimon. They weren't able to tell if Chad's heart had a talisman in it but right now that was only on part of Uranus' mind.

"I knew they couldn't keep it up forever," she smiled. "Now it's only a matter of time before we find out who the rest of them are. Then we can at least stop them from getting in the way."

Neptune frowned slightly. The Riders themselves haven't really been getting in the way of the mission. They just came and fought the Daimon before leaving. They didn't really make an active attempt at stopping her or Uranus but they made it very clear that if their interests crossed then they would fight. Neptune knew that if it came to that then she and Uranus would lose. The Riders were very powerful and she wasn't sure if holding their identities above their heads was going to be enough.

She just wished Haruka didn't look so eager to see it come to that.

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Inside his lab, Professor Tomoe was contemplating this new information. Kaolinite had failed yet again. Another perfect Daimon seed wasted. She hadn't even been able to get her hands on the target's heart crystal to see if it was a talisman. What was worse, the target was one of the blasted Kamen Riders. The very worst thing though, the one thing that truly made the Professor's blood almost run cold, was the little fact that the Rider's armor was able to deflect the beams used to extract pure hearts.

"That shouldn't be possible," the Professor frowned as he worked. "The energy should be sufficient to remove a heart no matter what is in between it and the one projecting the beam."

The Professor ran his hands through his hair in frustration. This wasn't supposed to be possible! How could this be happening? Who would dare create something that could deflect the heart-snatching beam? Did someone learn of his plans and create a counterbalance? Impossible! But...the way these Riders could so completely outclass a Daimon so easily. The Sailor Scouts were one thing. They were a general defense, but the Riders seemed much more specialized. Who could have learned of his plans? How could they create an opposing force? Just who did these Riders serve?

He would find out soon enough and they would pay for getting in his way!

To Be Continued...

A/N: Chapter's done! Were any of you expecting this? I bet not! My thanks goes out to ZK Chromedragozoid for helping me put this together and for prereading. Next chapter! Sawsword returns and Mina questions coninuing on as a Sailor Scout! Please look forward to it!


	14. Mina's Doubts Sawsword's Heart

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. They belong to their respective creators and not me.

-Ten-faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 13: Mina's Doubts. Sawsword's Heart.

The Scouts were collected at the Hikawa Shrine waiting for their missing member Raye. Well, four Scouts and a Kamen Rider. They were a little confused about what was going on but Raye had asked them to come and it sounded important so they really couldn't just say no. Serena had even arrived late as was customary and Raye still wasn't there. They had been searching for Chad and had begun to lose hope that they would ever find him when Raye suddenly called them up and told them to meet back at the temple.

"I'm starting to get a little worried," Mina frowned. "I hope Raye's okay."

"She'll be fine," Yagami tried to reassure her. "She's a tough girl."

A few murmurs were the replies he received but the girls knew he was right. Raye could take care of herself and they shouldn't have to worry, but they did anyway. She was their friend and real friends cared about each other. While they were talking though, they shrine maiden in question appeared at the steps and was walking towards them.

"Raye!" Amy gasped, causing everyone to notice and storm over to her.

"Where have you been?" asked Serena, close to tears. "We were so worried!"

"Calm down, Meatball-head," Raye smiled. "I'm fine. I also have something to tell you all inside."

"Huh?" was the unified answer accompanied by several blinks.

Raye just remained quiet and gestured everyone to follow her inside. Raye's guests were brimming with curiosity. She just calmly led everyone top her room before they all took their seats. Raye sat down for a moment before taking a calming breath. Everyone looked at her expectantly as she looked at her friends.

"CHAD IS KAMEN RIDER DRAKE!" Raye suddenly cried, causing everyone to fall backwards from shock.

"Whaaaaaatt?!" the girls cried.

Yagami on the other hand was now very confused. There was no way that Chad could be Kamen Rider Drake. Daisuke had taken up that role. Raye had to have been mistaken.

"I saw him transform with my own two eyes!" Raye gushed. "And he was so brave taking on the Daimon like that! I didn't think he could fight so well!"

Well that ruined his theory. Another question did come up though. If Chad did somehow get his hands on the Drake Grip and activate the armor, how did he fight as well as Raye was describing. She was talking about how he managed to use Cast Off, Clock Up, and the Finisher System all in one battle like it was nothing. Yagami's first time in the armor made him completely confused since he had no idea what had happened to him. Then again, one could look like a real fighter with dumb luck on his side.

"Wow, Kira," Serena smiled, catching the boy's attention. "You knew Chad all this time and you kept his secret? You're such a good friend!"

"Uh...yeah," Yagami blinked. Lita seemed to be the only one who noticed some discomfort.

"This is great!" Mina laughed. "Now we have two Kamen Riders to work with us! We should tell Chad right away!"

"NO!" Yagami cried, catching everyone's attention. He coughed in embarrassment before talking again. "I mean…uh…no."

"Why not?" Lita asked him curiously and concerned at his sudden outburst.

"Well, I don't think it's a good idea, really. I mean, you can't really just share your secret with Chad," Yagami said. '_Damn, what should I say? I'm not as competent at lying like Tendou is!_'

"Chad can be trusted," Raye said. "He's my friend."

"I know that, but…well…" Yagami scratched the back of his head but then a light-bulb lit up above his head. "Maybe I should just go and talk to him, Rider to Rider. I mean, it would be too much of a shock to him to find out from you girls." He breathed a sigh of relief. '_And maybe call Daisuke to know what's going on!_'

"I think that's a great idea!" Serena said.

"Very logical," Amy nodded. "We don't want to scare Chad away."

"Should I come too?" Lita asked Kira. He shook his head.

"No, sorry, Lita, but I think it's better if I do this alone," Yagami reasoned. She nodded in understanding.

"You know, this sort of makes me thing that…what if the Riders are really people we know?" Mina said.

Serena imagined Melvin and Andrew as secretly being Riders. It could make sense. Melvin didn't look much but he could be a Rider secretly…Andrew too.

"Well, I'll talk to Chad later, okay?" Yagami said. "But right now, is there anything else we should talk about?"

Amy then reached for her book bag and pulled out a number of textbooks, "Since we're all here together and our things are still here, we might as well continue our study session."

Serena slumped in her seat in defeat. The evils of school and studying were always out to get her no matter where she went or what she did to avoid them. There was just not escape.

Later, everyone was heading home. Lita and Yagami were holding hands on the way out when they spied Chad seeping some of the cobblestone walkways. Yagami stopped in his tracks. The temple was probably not going to get any visitors anytime soon and Raye was insider her house for the time being. Leaning over to Lita's ear, he began to whisper.

"I'll catch up later," he spoke. "I want to talk to Chad."

"Okay," Lita nodded. "I'll wait for you at the bottom of the stairs."

Yagami nodded before giving her hand one last squeeze before letting go. Lita continued on to the stairs while Yagami made his way towards Chad. The boy in question noticed him coming and stopped sweeping to greet him properly.

"Hi, Kira," he greeted.

"Hey, Chad," Yagami waved before dropping the bombshell. "So, change into a Kamen Rider lately?"

Chad froze before sweat-dropping nervously. He slowly turned to Yagami with a look of mild fear on his face, "S-s-so Raye told you, didn't she?"

"Raye knows too?" Yagami blinked, not wanting to reveal that Raye was the one who told him. "Wow, that's news to me."

"Erk!" Chad gulped, now feeling even worse revealing that Raye knew this secret. He turned back to Yagami. "So, how do you know?'

Yagami smiled before rolling back his sleeve to reveal his Hakabuto Brace, "Because my friend, I'm a Kamen Rider too."

Chad's eyes widened in disbelief. Yagami knew that there really wasn't any way to get Chad to explain what had happened other than letting him know that a Rider was asking him. It might make him relaxed enough to tell the truth.

"I also know that you aren't the original Drake," Yagami continued. "What I want to know is how you got your hands on the Drake Grip."

"Okay," Chad sighed. "Well, after last night I woke up at a tram station next to your friend Daisuke. We talked and he helped me through some grief I was feeling. I was going to get something to eat at another station but when I touched the tram it turned into a monster."

'_Daimon,_' Yagami thought to himself. '_Well, it might explain why Daisuke had the grip out in the open like he did._'

"The thing then blew a chunk of the ceiling off and it crumbled on Daisuke. I think he was knocked out," Chad continued. "It tried shooting me with this black beam but I got out of the way and started throwing rubble from where Daisuke was at it. I grab some weird handle and next thing I know is that a robot dragonfly is buzzing around me before it combines with the handle and covers me in some kind of armor. I was so shocked I accidentally tripped backwards when the monster got closer and shot it."

'_Dumb luck. I thought so,_" Yagami snickered inwardly. "And a series of accidents helped you use the other aspects of the suit to destroy the monster?"

"More or less," Chad nodded while pulling out the Drake Grip. "What's going to happen now? Is Daisuke going to want this thing back?"

"I don't know," Yagami sighed. "The guys who made that monster might come after you again so some protection might not be a bad idea. If you do see Daisuke again I would advise you give it back. He is the primary wielder."

"I figured as much," Chad nodded.

"I do have one question though," Yagami spoke. "When you fought the monster, did you see a woman in a red outfit and long red hair done up in a ponytail?"

"I think so," Chad nodded. "She was talking about pure hearts or something."

"Okay," Yagami nodded. "She's been a pretty common element wherever these new monster attacks have shown up. Oh, before I forget, the Sailor Scouts might begin to keep a closer eye on you, since you've 'revealed' your identity to a civilian and all."

"You mean they saw me too?!" Chad gaped. Just how many people knew? "Am I an enemy now or something?"

"Of course a Scout saw you," Yagami nodded. "Most likely anyway. I mean, when have they not shown up to a monster attack? I wouldn't call you an enemy though. Daisuke has this motto of protecting women no matter what so I think he made a positive impression."

"I guess," Chad sighed before he suddenly thought of something. "Hey, does Lita know about you being a Kamen Rider?"

"Yeah, she knows," Yagami sighed. "So do Raye, Mina, Amy, and Serena. I was on a date with Lita when a monster attacked and I had to transform to beat it. The other girls were spying on us at the time."

"Do you think Raye might tell her friends?" Chad asked in a surprisingly neutral voice.

"Those girls are as close as sisters sometimes," Yagami smiled. "Of course she'll tell unless you told her not too. Besides, they kept my secret, I think they can keep yours too."

Chad smiled at the thought. He knew he could trust those girls with something as big as this. They were all responsible and could keep a secret. Yagami, satisfied that he knew what had happened and that the girls' secret was safe for the moment, decided that it was time for him to leave.

"Well, I gotta go," he sighed. "I have an affectionate brunette waiting for me. See you later."

Chad nodded and returned to his sweeping. Yagami walked to the exit and down the stairs to where Lita was waiting for him.

"Did you tell him?" she asked curiously.

"Building up to it," Yagai replied. "You know how he can get with outbursts and stuff. I'm just getting him ready for it."

"That's a good idea," Lita nodded before squeezing his arm. "So, Kira-kun, what do you think we can do tonight?"

"I dunno, Lita-chan," Yagami smiled. "What would the lady like to do?"

Lita started giggling, "Oh, I can think of a thing or two."

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Serena had come home after a long day of running around and studying. She was looking forward to just lounging around the house until bed. At the moment, she was brushing her hair after a long relaxing bath. The door to her room creaked open slightly before Luna entered and shut the door behind her.

"Hey there, Luna," Serena smiled. "How was your day?"

"Exceedingly boring," Luna sighed. "Just why can't Artemis and I come to your study sessions anymore?"

"Well, Mina and I were a little afraid that you were going to freak Kira out," Serena explained.

"Serena, I hardly think that someone who fights monsters on a regular basis is going to be afraid of a talking cat," Luna sweat-dropped. "Besides, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with Lita dating a Kamen Rider."

"What!?" Serena cried, turning to her advisor. "Luna! That's so mean! Kira and Lita are such a nice couple!"

"Perhaps," Luna nodded. "But we don't know any of the other Riders nearly so well. They concern me. Especially after you told me about that 'Red Shoes System'. Such a machine is utterly barbaric! I can't even imagine what it must have been like for the poor boy."

"Me neither," Serena frowned. "But what is it that's bugging you so much?"

"It's the organization that Kira's armor supposedly came from," Luna explained. "Kira is probably safe since he had received his armor after it disbanded according to him, but the other Riders received theirs while it was active combating whatever threat they had to face. If this organization was this ruthless to their own men, I worry about how ruthless the men themselves are."

"Well," Serena mumbled. "Kabuto is a little cold I'll admit, but Zabee, Gatack, and Drake are really nice. Sawsword seems to be a stinker to me. Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper are just strange."

"Be that as it may, the Riders are still very powerful and we have to keep our guard up," Luna insisted. "If they do turn against us then they may go through Kira to do it."

"Kira would never do that!" Serena frowned. "You just don't like him because he's a Rider!"

"Serena, I'm just taking the side of caution!" Luna insisted. "You are the princess and it is my duty along with the other girls to protect you!"

"The Kamen Riders have done nothing but good since they showed up," Serena retorted. "Sure we fought at first but that was because we thought they were hurting Raye."

"And you were soundly defeated," Luna commented.

"The only Scouts that the Riders don't really seem to like are those two that keep showing up," Serena continued, ignoring the comment. "Actually, Uranus seems more at odds with them than Neptune does."

"And those two are slightly stronger than the rest of you and the Riders still outclass them!" Luna snapped. "Serena, the Riders are still very dangerous and we have no way of defending ourselves against them!"

"We don't have to!" Serena frowned angrily. "The Kamen Riders are good guys and that's final!"

Luna sighed and bowed her head. Serena could just be so stubborn at times. Luna was just walking on the side of caution. How many times had an enemy appeared pretending to be a friend? Far too many for Luna's taste. The Kamen Riders were an enigma that she wanted to solve badly. If they truly were allies then fighting against the forces of evil would be much easier. If they turned out to be evil, however, there was no way that the girls could defend themselves against them. Especially against that Clock Up system they use to move so fast. Power such as theirs sent a shiver down her spine and up her tail.

"Listen, Luna, I know you're trying to help, but if you keep suspecting anyone who's just trying to help then what good are we to the people we protect?" Serena reasoned before storming out of the room.

"I just don't want to see any of you getting hurt," Luna said and then sighed sadly.

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It was yet another day at school that had ended and Mina was on her way home while she sighed dejectedly. She was depressed right now. Why? Well, for one, she didn't have a boyfriend. The second was that the first fact was being shoved in her face by the couples she could see around her. She was finding herself filling with jealousy.

Yes, she was jealous of her friends.

Seeing Serena and Darien being all lovey-dovey was bad enough but now Lita had Kira to be all lovey-dovey over. It was not fair!

Also, seeing the Riders fighting the Daimon and soundly beating them, alone even, made her think back to her days as Sailor V. She was able to beat monsters on her own but since meeting the other Scouts, she has relied on the others so much that she herself had become weaker. What had happened to her strength as Sailor V? Was she even worthy to be Sailor Venus?

She had told Artemis about Kira being Hakabuto and he wasn't very pleased. Also, to know that the girls' identities were known to an unknown was something that displeased him even more. Mina sighed in irritation. If Kira had wanted to hurt them he would've done so as soon as they changed back to civilian form. Heck, with the Clock Up system, there wouldn't be a reason for him to pretend to be their friend. Besides, she could sense that Lita and Kira really cared about each other.

"Why can't I ever find a guy for me?" Mina moaned.

At the same time, Tsurugi Kamishiro was walking out of a flower shop holding a bouquet of flowers. He hated the flowers with a passion but bought them anyway. They reminded him of his sister and without Jiiya around he was pretty much feeling lonely. He wondered how his old butler/mentor/guardian was doing at the moment.

As he walked he thought back to the things he had heard from his best friend Kagami about the 'New Guy' finding love. Ah, love. Tsurugi missed his dearest Misaki. What was she doing now? Did she miss him?

He was looked high in the sky and didn't look where he was going.

THUD!

"Ow!" Mina groaned as she fell on her rear, "Watch where you're going you…you..." she trailed off when she got a good look at the guy and immediately got hearts in her eyes.

Tsurugi dusted himself off and offered his hand, "My apologies." Jiiya had taught him to be a gentlemen in public so Tsurugi had no choice but to be nice. He could only be his cold self in battle, against Tendou, or in his armor. Sadly, he didn't have any of that. Mina took his hand and he pulled her up.

"Um…thanks…" Mina said with a blush on her face.

Tsurugi hoisted the young blonde to her feet. He peered at her for a moment and noticed she had an air of innocence around her. She was also looking at him with strange eyes, but he didn't really care to notice.

"Are you alright?" Tsurugi asked.

"Uh-huh," Mina nodded dreamily.

"Good," Tsurugi nodded. Reaching to his bouquet, he pulled out three of the larger flowers and held them out to Mina. "Perhaps these will make up for my absent mindedness."

Mina instantly grabbed the flowers and held them closer to her face, which hid the bottom half and upped her cuteness level to which passerby were able to notice.

"Don't worry about it," Mina giggled from behind the flowers. "Um...my name's Mina Aino. Can I know yours?"

"I am the man who walks the path above and will one day stand over everyone," Tsurugi answered before walking past her. He stopped with his back to her and turned slightly so that he was looking at her. "Tsurugi Kamishiro."

With introductions met, Tsurugi began walking away. He really didn't want to stick around and entertain a younger lady at the moment. He had more important things to do at the moment. He was glad to be rid of some of the flowers though. He was all for remembering his sister but there was such a thing as too much.

Mina was in a dreamland. She had just met who just had to be the most sophisticated, charming, handsome man ever! He was so kind when he helped her up. She looked to thee flowers that she had received from him. They were so beautiful. They also smelled so heavenly. Looking back up, she noticed that Tsurugi was gone. Well, that was fine for now. He had effectively bowled Mina over and she would need time to recover from such a dramatic introduction. A goofy grin came to her face as she began walking towards her destination.

While she was walking through her haze of love induced euphoria, she didn't notice that she was walking past her school again. She had gone in a circle. While she was walking though, she was snapped out of her daze by a volleyball that had rolled across the ground and hit her ankles. Blinking bank to reality, she looked down and picked up the volleyball, wondering where it had come from.

"Hey, Mina!" a male voice called.

Turning around, Mina saw a boy coming out of the gym. She recognized him easily enough. His name was Asai and he was on the volleyball team. She had met him while she was on the team and he had joined up. He was pretty good in her opinion. Not to mention that he was really nice and cute too. With a smile, Mina tossed him the volleyball.

"You're still on the team, Asai?" Mina asked with a smile.

"Sure am," Asai smiled as he caught the ball. "I'm actually hoping to keep playing until the summer actually."

"Well good luck with that," Mina teased playfully.

"Hey," Asai mock frowned before the two of them began laughing. "Hey, Mina, I was wondering abut something. Why did you quit the volleyball team when you came back from England anyway? Your flying somersault reception was a really great move."

"Well..." Mina replied hesitantly. "I actually wanted to keep playing volleyball..."

"Asai!" a female voice called. Both teens turned to see a girl calling from the doorway of the gym.

"Whoops," Asai smiled. "The manager calls. I'd better get going."

"Yeah," Mina nodded. "See ya,"

With a wave, Asai dashed back to the gym and inside. Mina just heaved a sigh before she started her track back home again. All the while sniffing the flowers that Tsurugi had given her and giggling every now and then.

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Within the Professor Tomoe's lab, Kaolinite was walking towards the man in question with a cup of tea prepared for him. Her high heels echoed through the halls as she stepped closer to the professor and set the drink next to him as he was looking into a microscope.

"Kaolinite," he suddenly spoke up, despite the fact that he hadn't noticed her. "How goes your hunt for the talismans?"

Kaolinite bit her lip in shame. She knew that her beloved already knew the answer for that question.

"Failure upon failure piles up Kaolinite," the Professer continued. "Yet, this last encounter had given us some information. The armor which protects the Kamen Riders is able to withstand our Daimon's ability to steal pure hearts. It is quite vexing. You even saw the face of the man who calls himself Kamen Rider Drake."

"Shall...shall we pursue him?" Kaolinite asked soothingly, not wanting to raise his temper.

"No," the Professer remarked as he shifted the lens of the microscope. "As of right now the Riders are too powerful. It would only be a waste of Daimon and other resources. We will only pursue him as a last resort or if we are certain he has a talisman."

"Yes, Professor," Kaolinite nodded.

Sitting straight, the Professor proceeded to crack his limbs to get the stiffness out, "These experiments are making my body go stiff from inaction. A little movement would do wonders for...hmmm. Now there's an idea."

The Professor stood up and headed over to a vase of vials. He then picked one up that was filled with red liquid and had what looked like a fetus egg inside. Taking it firmly, he walked over to his workbench where a beaker of green liquid was boiling over a burner. The Professor didn't hesitate to remove the stopper and pour the contents of the vial into the beaker. There was a brief pulsing noise before the beaker shattered and spilled the contents all over the table. The Professor just smiled as he held the now formed Daimon seed in his hands.

"There," he grinned before he turned to his assistant. "Kaolinite, try using this Daimon to secure the heart of a sportsman. It is one of the fields that we have yet to explore."

"Of course, Professor," Kaolinite nodded before taking the seed and teleporting away, leaving her lab coat to flutter to the ground yet again.

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"Mina? Hello? Mina?"

"Huh? What?" Mina blinked.

"Mina, you spaced out again!" Serena said. The 5 Scouts and one Kamen Rider were having another study session and it was the 3rd time Mina had spaced out like before. 

"Sorry, just thinking, really," Mina said while she sniffed the roses again. Yagami rolled his eyes.

'_Okay, Tsurugi doesn't strike me as the romantic type but then again I don't know him that well either except for the few times when he comes over to visit Kagami and to challenge Tendou or something_,' Yagami thought. '_And now he's giving roses to girls. Okay, something is seriously wrong with this picture_.' The fact that Mina had received roses from the scorpion Rider made Yagami rethink his perception of Tsurugi.

"Tsurugi sounds a lot like my step-brother though," Yagami commented.

"He was just so sweet!" Mina giggled.

"So, Kira," Raye began. "Have you told Chad yet?"

"I've talked to him but I haven't told him yet," Kira admitted. "Just, give me some more time, okay?"

"Alright, I trust you," Lita smiled.

Kira had talked to Daisuke before coming over, finding the makeup artist doing what he did best in the park. Daisuke had told Yagami that he just needed a vacation. Yagami shook his head. Didn't Daisuke take being a Rider seriously?

Serena looked at Kira with a look of guilt. Her argument with Luna yesterday had affected her greatly. Why couldn't Luna trust Kira anyway? He didn't look like he had anything evil planned. In fact, he looked completely opposite to that. All he did was study with them and cuddle up to Lita now and then. She was seriously considering introducing Luna to Kira so that she could see that fact for herself.

Kira himself was still feeling a little divided. He knew that he couldn't tell Chad about the girls' identities because he didn't have a real stake in this fight. Again, he didn't think he could tell the girls about this because that would mean he might expose Daisuke. Heaving a depressed sigh, Kira headed to the bathroom. Lita watched him go with a concerned frown. She excused herself from the table before following him

"Kira?" she asked hesitantly. "Kira what's wrong?"

Kira turned to look back at his girlfriend and he found himself getting lost in her eyes. Just being near her made him feel extremely lucky. Never having a girlfriend back in his home world really helped him appreciate what he had now. Silently coming to a decision, he decided that he couldn't keep up the charade.

"There's something that you all should know about Drake," he sighed. "I just wasn't sure how to tell you."

"What do you mean?" asked Lita. "We all know he's Chad."

"That's just it," Kira sighed. "Drake is Chad now. When I first started, I thought he was someone else."

"You mean the Drake we met before was someone else?" Lita gasped. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I was as surprised as you were when Raye made the announcement," Kira replied. "That's why I had to talk to him alone. I didn't want you girls to risk your identities until I was sure that Chad really was Drake."

"And is he?" asked Lita.

"He is for now," Kira sighed. "I tracked down the other Drake and he explained to me that he needed a vacation and since Chad was able to call the Zector then it was the perfect opportunity for it. In short, Chad got roped into this by chance just like I did."

"Oh no!" Lita gasped. "Does that mean Chad will have to fight now?"

Kira shook his head, "No. If he stays away from battle then he won't have to. Drake will come to get his Zector back eventually. As long as Chad doesn't get involved again then he should be fine."

"Good," Lita nodded. "Raye would really be sad if something bad were to happen to him."

"So would a lot of people," Kira nodded. "I don't think we can really blame Drake for his decision though. He's been fighting monsters for a while now. He was the third Rider to appear. Anyone would want a vacation after that much fighting."

"I guess," Lita shrugged. "But he could have at least had the decency to ask Chad first or at least be sure that he could handle himself."

"I think Chad can handle himself," Kira sighed. "He took down a Daimon with no experience at all and by himself. Why do you think Drake just left his Zector?"

"So Drake knows he can trust Chad with the Zector and to keep it and himself safe," Lita realized. "I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah," Kira nodded. "So, are you mad at me for not telling you sooner?"

Lita just smiled before she walked up to Kira and wrapped her arms around his neck before planting a gentle kiss on is cheek. He turned a cherry red while Lita drew back with a smile and blush of her own. "What was that for?" he asked, hand on the spot she'd kissed.

"That was for being honest with me," she explained, "And for trying so hard to protect our identities. Now we better go tell the others what you just told me."

The couple had returned to Raye's room but before they could say anything, they noticed that Mina was missing.

The couple had returned to Raye's room but before they could say anything, they noticed that Mina was missing.

"Hey, where's Mina?" Kira asked.

"Well, we noticed that she kept spacing out so Amy commented about it," Serena explained. "Mina then started talking about something like how 'Student Mina' sometimes doesn't like to pay attention or something."

"She then stood up and left but not before she mention how she isn't sure if she should be a Sailor Scout anymore," Raye finished.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" asked Lita.

"Sometimes people just need some time alone," Amy replied. "She'll come back when she's ready to talk.

"Okay," Kira nodded. "In the meantime, there's something you all should know that's going on between Chad and Drake."

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Kaolinite watched various members of a volleyball team work hard on their skills as they practiced. Seeing this as a good spot for a pure heart, she drew out the Daimon seed and sent it towards the team's equipment while none of them were looking. She smiled in satisfaction as the seed successfully implanted itself in one of the volleyballs.

"Now all I do is wait," she smiled before snapping her fingers and teleporting.

What she didn't know was that someone had heard her. This person in particular was none other than Tsurugi. He had been out looking for something a man of his standing could do when he spied Kaolinite from the street. He easily recognized her from her description that the other Riders had given him. A woman dressed like her tended to stand out anyway. He was tempted to transform and attack her but she was gone before he could. He could guess that something was going to happen. She most likely used one of the blasted seeds that she always carried around. He had no way of knowing what she had implanted it in so he would have to wait. At the first sign of a Daimon he would be ready for action.

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Mina was feeling even more depressed than ever. Seeing Asai had reminded her of the life she had before the duties of being Sailor Venus began taking up more and more of her time. She just wished that the enemies would just take a break every now and then. Sure being a hero was fun in a lot of ways but she still at least wanted to have some normal happiness every once and a while.

Her depression had only gotten worse when she saw Lita go off after Kira. She just knew that the two of them were going to do the kind of fun things that a loving couple do. It made her remember just how much she was lacking in the boyfriend aspect of her life. She really didn't like being reminded of it.

Sighing to herself, Mina resigned to go see what Asai was doing. It might be nice to relive the good old days when she was on the volleyball team. Maybe if she was lucky she could get him to take her out on a date.

She then noticed a man in an immaculate white suit watching the volleyball team practice and called, "Hey, Tsurugi!"

Tsurugi flinched but maintained his composure. Smiling charmingly, he turned to regard Mina, "Ah, Mina, what brings you out here?"

"Oh, this is my old team," she smiled brightly. She couldn't believe her luck. The gorgeous Tsurugi was right next to her! Maybe her day wasn't as down as she thought it would be.

"I see," Tsurugi nodded, internally cursing his luck, knowing that a Daimon was most likely going to show up and now he had another person to make sure didn't get hurt.

"Yep," Mina nodded, continuing her bright and cheery smile. "I was pretty good too until I had to quit. How about you? You play sports?"

Tsurugi's mind instantly snapped back to when he and Tendou first met. They had both were playing a soccer game against each other and ended up tying. Not satisfied with that they just continued playing different sports and just continued tying. Suppressing an annoyed growl, he turned to answer Mina's question, "I find I'm good at a lot of sports."

While Mina continued trying to get Tsurugi to open up a little, Asai was continuing to practice. He just finished some volley drills before taking a breather for a moment. He sent a grin to his girlfriend, the team manager, before he decided to get some more practice in. He jogged over to where they kept their balls and reached for one. His fingers dragged along the surface of one ball in particular and soon it radiated a large amount of light.

Asai dropped the ball like it was diseased and backed away quickly. He watched as the ball shifted and changed until it had taken on the appearance of a female. It had blue skin and was wearing some sports equipment like knee pads and short black shorts. It also had a red spot painted on its face along with red hair and a headband with whistles for earrings. Along its arms were black stripes. Its chest was pretty much bare save for the two volleyballs covering its breasts.

"Damn!" Tsurgi hissed before standing up and taking Mina by the shoulders. "Mina, you go get help! I'll get the others out!"

"But," Mina tried to protest.

"Go!" Tsurugi shouted before pushing her out the door. Mina stumbled slightly before she tried to turn around but she found Tsurugi had shut the door. It was one of the back exits so it was going to stay locked from the inside.

Mina knew that this was going to be trouble but this did give her an opportunity to transform into Sailor Venus.

Inside things were a little chaotic. Most of the team was dashing for any available exit to get away from the monster. Tsurugi would later swear that he saw a boy scramble out through a window despite the height that it had. The Daimon seemed uninterested in most of the team however. She did take notice when the boy who had activated it was dashing for an exit with his girlfriend. Acting quickly, she summoned a pink sphere of energy and launched it like a volleyball spike at the couple.

"Look out!" Asai shouted as he pulled his girlfriend out of the way. The ball made impact with the floor and exploded, taking out a chunk of the floor with it. Asai and his girlfriend were hurled by the impact into the wall. The girl was unconscious but Asai was still awake, but struggling to move. The Daimon chuckled as she stepped closer.

"Now I will take your pure heart which strives to match the perfect body!" the Daimon brought her wrists together and revealed the black star mark. It fired a stream of energy and it collided with Asai. He cried out in pain but it wasn't long before his skin paled and his heart crystal appeared. It floated closer to the Daimon before Kaolinite appeared and snatched it out of the air. It was another moment before she started frowning.

"This isn't a pure heart crystal!" she spat.

"Good," a male voice spoke out suddenly. "That means I don't have to worry about any of these pathetic talismans that you are after."

"Who dares?!" Kaolinite shouted.

A tapping noise caught their attention before Kaolinite noticed someone standing on the stage. The lights were dim in that direction so the man's face couldn't be seen, but his white suit and the purple sword he was tapping against the ground were visible.

"Interference on the court!" thee Daimon growled. "Who are you?"

"Me?" the man smirked. "I am the man who will walk the path above and one day stand over everyone."

"Huh?" the Daimon grunted in confusion while Kaolinite frowned in frustration. That is, until she heard something that could make her blood boil and run cold at the same time.

"STANDBY!"

A scuttling noise began to be heard before Kaolinite saw what looked to be a robotic scorpion crawling down one of the curtains. When it came to a stop in clicked it's pinchers aggressively before leaping off the fabric and into the man's hand. The man then raised his sword to be level with the machine.

"Henshin!" the man called with a smirk in his voice before snapping the scorpion onto the hilt. "HENSHIN!!"

A hexagonal field spread from the sword until it covered the man entirely. It was then he stepped out into the light in his armored glory.

"You may call me, Kamen Rider Sawsword," Sawsword introduced arrogantly. He then raised his sword and readied himself to attack.

"Wait!" another voice cried. Everyone's attention turned to see Sailor Venus standing at a doorway to the gym. "The heart of a true athlete is a precious thing! I, Sailor Venus, will not let this crime go unpunished!"

"Oh, a fine introduction, Venus," Sawsword remarked. "I'd give it 5 out of 10. However, there is a Daimon here that deserves our full attention."

"Tsk!" Kaolinite frowned before she handed the heart crystal to the Daimon. "Destroy these two fools."

The Daimon nodded before she grasped the crystal and pulled it into one of its pink energy orbs. She smiled gleefully before throwing the ball up into the air, "Let's see you block this!"

The Daimon launched the ball at Venus with impressive speed and power. Venus was caught unaware and was unable to deflect. When it seemed that it was going to hit her, Sailor Jupiter appeared and knocked it away. It flew to another end before Sailor Mercury managed to volley it over to Hakabuto who rolled it along his arms and straight into Mars' waiting hands.

"All right, guys!" Sailor Moon cheered as she managed to get inside. "Venus! We got your call! Are we too late?"

"You're right on time!" Venus smiled.

"Heh," Sawsword smirked as he walked over to Hakabuto. "Good timing there, New Guy, ladies. Shall we finish this Daimon now? There's still daylight and I'm not going to miss it."

He reached to his sword and pushed the scorpion tail down and pressed it against the main body, causing electrical pulses to race through his body. Hakabuto did the same as he pulled back the horn of his bracelet.

"You ladies might want to step back," Sawsword commented as the sections of his armor came loose.

"CAST OFF!" the Zectors called before both Riders blew off their armor and switched to Rider form. Interestingly enough though. The armor that would have hit the Sailor Scouts had collided with each other before reaching them, causing them to nullify each other.

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

"CHANGE SCORPION!"

The Scouts smiled before rejoining the line with Sawsword and Hakabuto. Sailor Moon stepped out in front of all of them before pointing at the Daimon, "You're outnumbered, Daimon! Why don't you give up and return that heart crystal?!"

"This is volleyball, kid!" the Daimon grinned. "Not Kempo and Kendo where the strongest hits win. It's about keeping the ball in play!"

The Daimon raised her arms into the air before energy crackled through them. Mars cried out in surprise as the energy ball was pulled from her hands as if by invisible hands before it started flying everywhere trying to hit the five scouts or one of the two Riders.

"This is pathetic," Sawsword hissed as he dodged another attack. "I'd say a change of pace is in order."

Sawsword reached to his belt and activated his Clock Up system, "CLOCK UP!"

Everything went still as Sawsword calmly walked towards where the Daimon was still standing. He was considering just destroying the thing and be done with it but he then got a more entertaining idea.

"CLOCK UP!"

Looking to the source of the sound, Sawsword saw Hakabuto breathing heavily for a moment. It was no wonder really. The energy ball was right above his head.

"Good timing yet again, New Guy," Sawsword snickered. "You take care of the crystal will you? I'll finish off this thing."

"Sure," Hakabuto nodded before he grabbed the ball. It offered no resistance as he pulled it along and kneeled over in front of Asai.

"CLOCK OVER!" was heard before Hakabuto went still again.

Sawsword returned to his task and stepped in front of the Daimon. He then punched it hard enough to send it flying in real time before he took a few steps back and reached to his sword. He grabbed the tail and pulled at it before pushing it back down against the body again. "Rider Slash!"

"RIDER SLASH!"

Purple energy bolts traveled over his body and sword as his eyes flashed. Purple venom appeared to gush out of the blade as he swung it, ready to finish the job.

"I'm not a big fan of volleyball," Sawsword smirked behind his helmet. "I much prefer baseball."

"CLOCK OVER!"

"Gahhhhh!" the Daimon cried as the force of the punch sent it flying. It was important to note that the volleyball net was right behind it so it got caught in it. The net stretched slightly before it recoiled and sent the Daimon back at Sawsword. She couldn't stop herself before he slashed downward at her and made her explode in black smoke. A volleyball rolled to a stop behind him just before a familiar seed fell out of it and cracked open to reveal a familiar black phantom that faded away.

"Finally, I get to use my Rider Slash on a Daimon," Sawsword said. "Everyone else kept getting the good part."

"Only you would think that, Sawsword," Hakabuto commented.

"Yes, I-" he suddenly grunted in pain. "I…need to go!" He activated his Clock Up system and vanished.

The Scouts and Hakabuto looked on in confusion. Something was wrong with Sawsword and they weren't sure what.

"What's wrong with him, Hakabuto?" Jupiter asked the gold Rider.

"I don't know," Hakabuto shook his head. It appeared as if Sawsword was in pain.

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"CLOCK OVER!"

Sawsword reappeared not too far away as his Zector jumped off the sword, undoing his transformation. He was on his knees and purple energy erupted from him. He let out a scream and as he did his form began to change.

In Tsurugi's place now was a dangerous looking white insectoid creature that appeared to be based on a scorpion. Its hide looked remarkable hard while it had a slight resemblance to the Sawsword armor when it came to the head. This was his Worm form, Scorpioworm. Luckily, no one was around to see this transformation…

Actually, this time, he had witnesses.

Uranus and Neptune had come to check if the next target's heart was a talisman but arrived too late. The Daimon had been defeated again by one of the Riders and the Inners had gotten in the way along with Hakabuto. They were on top of a roof when they witnessed Sawsword changing to human form but they didn't see his face. They did, however, see him change into this creature…

"What are these Riders?" Neptune questioned in shock.

"Whatever they are, they can't be human," Uranus added with eyes wide with shock.

The two Scouts snapped to attention when they saw that Scorpioworm was beginning to go wild. He was thrashing in all directions and trashing anything within arms reach. It was obvious to see that he was going to be a threat to people if he continued to be left alone. With this in mind, Uranus and Neptune leaped to the ground on opposite sides of the Worm.

"I've been looking for an excuse to put one of you guys down," Uranus smirked. Now she could get some satisfaction from the suffering she endured at the Rider's hands.

Scorpioworm hissed in rage before he raced towards Uranus in hopes of crushing her. The Scout reacted quickly and got out of his way. As Scorpioworm quickly turned around, he saw Neptune preparing an attack.

"_Neptune Deep Submerge!_" she cried before the orb of water was sent crashing into Scorpioworm.

Scorpioworm hissed n rage and pain as he was pushed back and crashed into a wall. Shaking his head to remove the stars, he got back up and started running at his opponents again.

"_Uranus World Shaking!_" Uranus cried while releasing her own attack.

This time the attack was much stronger and it sent Scorpioworm crashing out of the secluded spot they were in and into the open street. Civilians took one look at him and started screaming before running for their lives. They were well practiced at it. However, there was one person who had been doing a grocery run when the havoc had started. Kagami had been ordered by Tendou to get some things while he was preparing dinner. The last thing he had been expecting was seeing Scorpioworm sent sprawling into the street. He was quickly followed by the two older Sailor Scouts.

"Tsurugi!" Kagami cried out. Looking for a private place, he managed to hide his groceries before activating his belt. "STANDBY!"

A robotic Stag Beetle buzzed down from the sky before Kagami managed to catch it in his hand, "Henshin!" He slid it onto his belt.

"HENSHIN!" the belt echoed before the hexagonal field covered him and changed him into Gatack.

Uranus and Neptune stepped closer to finish of Scorpioworm when sudden blasts stopped their march. Looking over to the source, they saw Gatack running towards him. He placed himself firmly between the two Outers and the struggling Scorpioworm.

"Leave him alone!" Gatack said harshly. "This isn't his fault!"

"He's a monster and so are the rest of you Riders!" Uranus snapped. "We saw him change!"

"Is he a monster for what he is, or are you yourselves monsters for sacrificing innocents?" Gatack snapped at them. This caused Neptune to freeze but Uranus grew enraged.

"You Riders have been nothing but trouble, always getting in our way. No more!" Uranus prepared her attack, "Uranus World Sha-"

"CAST OFF!"

Uranus was caught by surprise when Gatack's Masked Form's armor plating flew at her. She ducked before any of them could hit her.

"CHANGE STAG BEETLE!" Gatack's Zector spoke as his horns folded onto his helmet. He had fought Kabuto before to protect Scorpioworm so this time it wouldn't be different. He gripped the blades attached to his shoulders and pulled them off, getting into a battle stance.

"Bring it on…" Gatack challenged.

Uranus gave a battle cry before she lunged at Gatack. The blue Rider sidestepped her and slashed with his blades. Uranus proved yet again her fighting prowess as she dodged the attacks and tried to punch him several times. Gatack backed up to avoid the punches but Uranus just kept pressing forward. Gatack then dodge rolled to the side before slashing at her with his weapons again. Uranus backed off but just tried to get around him so she could attack him again.

Neptune watched in ever growing concern. The creature had wandered off during the fight while everyone was distracted but it seemed dazed and unsteady. Her main concern was Uranus though. Every time the Riders were mentioned she'd get angry for some reason. To her credit, though, she could keep her temper in check. If the Riders became involved, mainly Kick Hopper or Punch Hopper, or the Riders started comparing them to the enemy, she'd lose her temper. Right now I seemed that she was trying to wage a one person war on them.

Uranus threw another punch which he promptly ducked from and got to one knee. While he was down, he flipped over one of his blades and snapped them together so now they looked like a pair of scissors. Energy crackled through them as the Zector began speaking again.

"RIDER CUTTING!"

Uranus looked down and before she could properly react, she found her waist caught between the two weapons as energy began crackling through her body.

"Gyaaahh!" she cried as the voltage raced through her body. It hurt just as bad as when Punch Hopper had nailed her but this pain was in constant flow. It just wouldn't stop!

"Stop it!" Neptune cried, hating to see her beloved in pain. She didn't expect Gatack to actually listen to her but to her extreme shock, he did. He released Uranus and separated his weapons again, letting the excess energy crackle to nothing.

Uranus fell gasping to her knees. The pain echoed somewhat and she struggled to catch her breath. Neptune was instantly at her side with a caring embrace. Both of them looked up to see Gatack still watching them.

"Why?" Uranus asked. "Why did you protect that thing?"

"I did it because he's my friend," Gatack replied harshly. "He didn't ask to become what you saw. Sorry about the attack but I had to stop you somehow without causing permanent harm."

"I don't need your pity!" Uranus snapped, being held back by Neptune's embrace.

"I'm not pitying you. I'm just apologizing for causing you pain. That's it. If I pitied you then I wouldn't have used that attack at all." Gatack replied before turning to Neptune. "Will you be able to get her home?"

Neptune nodded silently. Gatack gave his own nod before he pressed a button on his belt, "CLOCK UP!"

Then he was gone. Neptune helped Urnus to her feet, but she was still clutching her abdomen. Neptune was starting to get that flurry of doubts again. The Riders were a confusing group, now more than ever before.

'_Are they even human?_' Neptune wondered to herself. '_From the way Gatack was talking it sounded like Sawsword was the only one who could do that. Just who are we dealing with? First they seem so cold towards us. Then something like what Gatack did just now comes to light. They show us kindness. Like how Kabuto saved me or when Gatack showed Haruka mercy. Just who or what are the Kamen Riders?_'

Neptune knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. If any, her sleep would be restless with all these questions in her head.

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Luna was in deep thought. The Riders were on her mind right now, Kira Yagami especially. She wanted answers and soon. Just what was their purpose? She would get to the bottom of this soon and find out what the Riders reason for involving themselves were.

To Be Continued...

A/N: another chapter is up and I hope you all enjoy it. Sawsword and Gatack make an appearance. I want to thank ZK Chromedragozoid for helping out with prereaduing and helping with writer's block when it hit. Next chapter is Kaolinites last stand!


	15. Kaolinite's Last Stand!

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not profit.

-Ten-Faced Paladin

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 14: Kaolinite's Last Stand! Here Comes Hyper Hakabuto!

Within the dark confines of Professor Tomoe's laboratory, he was busy working with his Daimon experiments. Behind him in her lab coat yet again was Kaolinite. Everything was silent as the Professor worked diligently. Kaolinite didn't say a word. She knew not to interrupt her beloved while he was working. He would talk when he had a free moment.

After what seemed like an eternity to Kaolinite, the Professor began speaking, "So, Kaolinite, have you picked out a new target?"

"Yes, Professor," Kaolinite confirmed. "This new target has one of the purest hearts that we have ever come across. I am confident that this one will hold the power that you seek."

"Well, that's what I like to hear," the Professor smiled while taking a vial from the multitude of others. "I'll just have to make a special Daimon to capture this worthy target."

Taking the vial, the Professor allowed it to hang near a blue flame that was burning from a nearby burner. The flames licked the glass eagerly as the liquid inside the vial began to boil. The embryo inside the liquid squirmed in the heat. It was hard to tell if it was in pain or if it was just reacting. After a moment of this the Professor pulled the vial away and poured the contents into a waiting vial of green liquid. The embryo took strength from the combining agents before smashing free of the glass prison. Now it stood as a fully formed Daimon seed that glowed an eerie green in the darkness.

"You know what to do, Kaolnite," the Professor spoke. "Do not fail me this time."

"Of course, Professor," Kaolinite bowed.

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Yagami was feeling a little tired after the confrontation with the volleyball Daimon from yesterday. Sports really just weren't his thing. He had been a little worried about Tsurugi but Kagami had reassured him that he was just fine. Yagami knew that there was a little bit more to the story but there probably wasn't going to be any way for him to get it at the moment.

Currently he was walking back home to change clothes. Lita had told him earlier that they were planning a surprise party for Serena and they needed him to keep quiet about it. Luckily, since Yagami lived in an opposite direction from the school so he didn't have to worry about helping out since he might end up being late anyway. The bad news was that no one had told him until today so there was no real way he could get a birthday present in time. Girls were a lot harder to shop for in his opinion; experiences in getting gifts for his mother back home. One had to think long and hard about what they got for one of the women in their lives. Jewelry was an old standby but Yagami's allowance hadn't come through Kamemaru yet so he was kind of broke at the moment.

"Meow," a feline voice cut through his thoughts.

Looking down at the ground, Yagami spied two cats sitting in front of him. One was pure white and the other was pure black. Both of them had crescent moon symbols on their foreheads.

"Uh, hi," Yagami waved to the two felines.

The two cats seemed to gaze at him for a moment before they started walking down an alley to a parking spot. The black cat looked back at Kira and hade a gesture as if to say 'follow me'. Now very curious about the apparent weirdness surrounding the two felines, Yagami started to follow. He did not follow quickly though. He walked slowly and made sure that the Hakabuto brace was securely tied around his wrist. He didn't have to follow them for long before he came to a stop with both cats sitting on the back end of a car. Taking a moment to step in front of them, the black cat suddenly held a paw to its mouth and cough to clear it through.

"Well now," it spoke in a female voice. "I assume that you are Kira Yagami, correct? Also known as Kamen Rider Hakabuto? My name is Luna and this is my associate Artemis"

"Hi," the white cat nodded with a male voice and a warm smile.

Yagami just blinked at this. After a moment he just started rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Had I seen this a few weeks ago I would have considered this odd. Yes, I am Kira Yagami and Kamen Rider Hakabuto. I assume you two are with the Sailor Scouts? I'm assuming this since Mina and Serena mentioned owning cats with your names."

"That's right," Artemis nodded. "We're their advisors and we were hoping to ask you a couple of questions."

"Sure, I guess," Yagami shrugged. "Fire away."

"Very well," Luna nodded. "What is the purpose of the Kamen Riders?"

"There's no real purpose," Yagami replied while leaning on another car. "The Riders exist for only one thing; to fight monsters and protect people. We aren't after anything in particular. We are just there to make sure that monsters like the Daimon can't hurt innocent people."

"Then what about that organization that made your weapons?" asked Artemis. "They seem to be some pretty shifty people."

"You won't find me arguing," Yagami growled. "I was never a part of the organization to begin with. Neither were Kabuto or Drake. Sawsword only did what they said because they paid him. The Hoppers used to work for them but went rogue later on. Gatack and Zabee only want to protect people."

"So none of you actually agreed with what the organization you worked for did?" reasoned Luna.

"Barely any of us even worked for them at all," Yagami replied. "We just lucked into our power."

"Okay," Artemis nodded. "Will this organization be trying to get the Rider technology back? There are plenty of people in the world who would want that kind of power for their own ends."

"The organization that made these things has long ago disbanded," Yagami replied with confidence. "The Rider armor also can't be stolen for personal use. The Zector chooses the wielder, not the other way around."

"So no one besides you eight Riders can use it," Luna summarized.

"Unless we're incapacitated and there's someone nearby who has the pre-chosen qualities that the Rider armor needs to work or if the Zector rejects us," Yagami finished. "I can't tell you how many times the Rider armor has shifted possession from some of the older Rider's tales."

"Really?" blinked Artemis. "Let's hear it."

"Fine," Yagami shrugged. "The first Zabee was actually the man who is now Kick Hopper but he lost his path and it rejected him. The second Zabee would later be Gatack but he abandoned it because of his friendship with Kabuto. The third one was defeated one too many times by Kabuto back when the organization wanted to either recruit him or destroy him so it was taken away. He later became Punch Hopper. The Zabee you know is the fourth one out there."

"I see," Luna nodded.

"Anyway," Yagami sighed while standing up. "Needless to say we Riders have a bit of history but that's behind us now since the inventors are gone and we can fight monsters at our leisure. Right now though I want to head home and then back to the temple for Serena's birthday party. Will I see you two there?"

"Of course," Artemis smiled. "Why do you think we decided to talk to you now of all days?"

"Ah, yes," Yagami smiled. "Cake has a way of doing that."

Luna nodded as Yagami left for his house. Some of her questions had been answered by this little interrogation but she had a couple more. Those could be for later though. It was safe to say right now that the Riders were most likely not a threat if all they wanted to do was fight monsters and protect people. It was also apparent that not all the Riders got along so even if one or two turned against them then some of the others may be willing to help the girls against them. She also felt some satisfaction knowing that no one could steal the armor and try to frame the Riders for crimes. In all, she felt things were alright as they were for the moment.

But why were the armors made anyway? What exactly was the threat they were specifically designed to combat?

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Haruka was sipping tea with Michelle as the contemplated the day. Her sides were still hurting after what Gatack put her through and last night she found that she had bruises aligned with the spines that Gatack's weapons had. She just kept finding more and more reasons to hate the Riders. Right now she doubted they were even human. After seeing Sawsword change into that...thing, it cast their species into doubt. Gatack was quick to defend it and he only did so long enough for it to get away. Thinking about Gatack asking if she was fine (relatively speaking) was a little insulting. She then remembered that he didn't ask because he felt pity, he asked because he wanted to make sure he didn't kill her.

Sighing, she mentally shook her head. She didn't want to think about the Riders at the moment. Her thoughts were turned to her friend the bun-head. She and Michelle had found her feeling pretty down when it was apparent that her boyfriend had forgotten her birthday. A big mistake on his part in Haruka's opinion. They had talked and Serena had felt a little better before she left. Haruka was actually feeling better for a change but not before Michelle had sadly commented that she might have on of the talismans. That just brought down Haruka's mood. She liked Serena. She really did. She was an incredibly nice person and had this kind of innocence around her that was just so incredibly cute in her own opinion. It really made her feel as bad as the Riders accused her of being when she thought about letting Serena die just so they could get a talisman.

Michelle looked at her partner and could barely keep her smile in. Now this was the Haruka she remembered before all this started with the Riders. Haruka was still so very kind but she often put that aside in her duties as Sailor Uranus. It had been almost buried in the anger she was often showing against the Riders. Now though, at suddenly realizing that someone she is close to might own a Talisman, it might actually be bringing her own heart back to the light.

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Kaolinite knew that her timing was absolutely perfect. She had spied her target fawning over these glass shoes while she tailed her and found them to be the most likely object that would make a good Daimon. Just to be sure she had kept an eye on the target's boyfriend and when she was sure he was coming for the shoes, since the target had made such a huge fuss over them, she went to the store ahead of him. From there it had been child's play to knock out the attendant and don a copy of her outfit. From there she rushed to implant the Daimon seed and she did so successfully. Barely a heartbeat later, the boy came in. He had taken one look at the shoes and forked over the money for them. Soon they were packaged up and he was on his way. Kaolinite just gave a small giggle before she teleported after him, leaving the outfit to flutter to the ground as she went to keep an eye on those slippers. She just had to wait for the opportune moment.

One thing she did not notice, however, was one Kamen Rider Kabuto in civilian form watching her like a hawk. If the woman wanted to really disguise herself then she would truly have to do something about her hair, Red hair like hers in Japan made her stick out like a house on fire. He easily recognized her from what the other Riders had told him and when he had spotted her on the night that Hakabuto activated his Red Shoes System. He could tell that she was not the type that would dress up just for fun. He watched through the store's glass as a boy bought a pair of glass shoes that she had been focusing her attention on. No doubt that she had planted a Daimon seed inside of it. When the boy had the shoes all packaged up, he left in a flash. Luckily, Tendou set the pace for himself and followed. Kaolinite was none the wiser that someone was onto her.

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Serena thought herself to be in a romance movie at the moment. She had at first thought that everyone had either forgotten her birthday or didn't care. Even Darien didn't seem to know that it was her special day. Imagine her surprise though when there was a party waiting for her at the temple with all her friends and even Luna and Artemis. Her sadness instantly vanished as she was given presents and sweets galore for her special day. She was a little miffed at Darien for not being there but that was until Lita made the comment that she had never told Darien the date of her birthday in the first place.

That led to now where she had been running through the streets towards Darien's place. She wanted to go there and apologize but instead she met him halfway there at a construction site while he was heading for the temple to meet here. Serena was a whirlwind of apologies for what she did and Darien just smiled as he knelt down with his package.

"Not to worry," he smiled. "I found my princess and that's what matters."

Opening the package, Darien pulled out one of the glass shoes that Serena had been trying to coerce him into buying earlier. She gasped in delight as she realized that Darien had actually bought the shoes for her. It really was turning into a romance story. Carefully slipping her own shoe off, Serena then slid her own foot into the gift Darien gave her, but that's when this little romance turned to horror. The glass shoe began to glow brightly and pulse with energy. So much so that the force knocked Serena and Darien back. The slipper then began to spin in the air before twisting and turning to become a humanoid Daimon.

"SENOSHENTA!" the newest Daimon cried.

This Daimon was rather pleasing to the eye to be honest. She had a shapely body and had emerald skin that looked like it was made of glass. She wore a gold skirt with emeralds encrusted in it. Her stomach was bare while a chest-plate and shoulder-pads were worn. She had a gold helmet with a slipper like the one she used to be. Her red eyes were a bright in contrast to the rest of her emerald body.

"Oh no!" Serena gasped as she backed away from the Daimon. She didn't like the way she was looking at her. She seemed like she was the newest target.

"Serena!" Darien cried as he dashed to save her.

"Don't interfere!" Senoshenta hissed before she sucker punched Darien into the darkness of the construction site.

"Darien!" Serena cried out in fear.

The Daimon just turned towards Serena and gripped her shoulders before pinning her to a wall with a look of malice in her eyes. While she was preparing to remove the heart crystal, two witnesses were just watching the scene go on. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptuen waited for Serena's heart crystal to be extracted before they could determine if it was a talisman or not.

"You want to save her, don't you?" asked Sailor Neptune.

"What?" blinked Sailor Uranus.

"It's written all over your face," Neptune explained. "So what are you going to do?"

"Don't be stupid," Uranus sighed, "She might have a talisman."

Serena was gripped in fear at the moment. She knew that she couldn't let the Daimon take her heart. If she did then she was going to die in a very unpleasant way and who knows what the thing was going to do with her heart afterwards. Deciding that she had no other option, she reached to her brooch and was about to say the words needed to transform when someone decided to interrupt the festivities.

"Grandmother said this: A gift from the heart is a truly precious thing. You have perverted that gift," the voice spoke.

Serena and Senoshenta turned to the source and found it to be a man with wild black hair who was wearing a black shirt and jeans. He had an air of arrogance/confidence around him that is rarely felt in anyone.

"Oh yeah?" Senoshenta growled as she let Serena go, causing the girl to drop to her knees. "Let's see how tough you talk after I crush you!"

Senoshenta charged with a loud battle cry straight at the man who talked down on her. She had even summoned a crystal sword to her hand that she intended to use to slice the person in half. She reached her opponent and struck with her sword. Serena closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the result but when she didn't hear a cry of pain she dared to look again. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw what was happening. The man was dodging the Daimon at every attack. Even in a few cases, he had managed to hit back with a punch to the face! This was just making the Daimon even angrier than before.

Uranus and Neptune were both in a rare state of shock. They didn't think that anyone could take on a Daimon without powers but this one man was doing it. It was a little mind-boggling on just how he was doing it but he was doing it just the same.

Senoshenta growled angrily as she failed to hit the annoying human again. This time he went around behind her and kicked her in the back, causing her to stumble. Now he had placed himself between her target and her.

"Who are you?!" she roared angrily.

"Heh," the man smirked before pointing to the sky. "I am the man who walks the path to heaven and will one day rule over everything."

The Daimon was now a little confused but that was soon disregarded by something else speaking, "STANDBY!"

A buzzing noise filled everyone's ears before they saw a red beetle coming through the air before the man snatched it and held it in his hand, "Henshin!" He snapped it to his belt.

"HENSHIN!" a robotic voice called before a hexagonal field engulfed the man. He was soon found to be donned in a very familiar suit of armor. Serena and both the Outers gave off gasps of surprise.

"Kabuto?!" they all cried. The man was Kabuto all along?

"Uh oh," Senoshenta gulped. She knew all too well what a Rider was capable of.

Kabuto summoned his Kunai Gun and held it like an axe, swinging it at the Daimon. Senoshenta blocked with her blade but when she did she got a kick in the stomach before a fist made impact with her face. Senoshenta growled and charged at her opponent who flipped his weapon over and aimed it at her like a gun. In fact, the weapon was an axe and a gun! Kabuto shot at her repeatedly and she staggered back. He made sure his shots didn't hit Serena who was still frozen at the spot as she watched Kabuto fight the Daimon. When Kabuto was in range, he flipped his weapon back into Axe Mode and slashed at the Diamond and chopped down on her shoulder.

"I know you're both watching, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune," Kabuto said as he looked to where the two Outers were watching in hiding. They both gasped. Had he been watching them? "And there's no need to pretend that you can't hear me and I do know why you two are here so don't deny it." The Daimon came at him again but he just pulled at the horn of his Zector.

"CAST OFF!" the armor exploded off his body and pushed the Daimon back as the pieces smashed into her and flung her back. The horn folded onto his helmet. "CHANGE BEETLE!" He pulled at the barrel of his weapon to reveal a short golden blade. This was his Kabuto Kunai. Holding it like a dagger, he slashed and stabbed at the Daimon who tried to guard herself with her sword.

Uranus growled. Again, the Riders were getting in the way. Strangely enough though, she didn't mind as much as she normally would.

Senoshenta knew that she wasn't going to get anything done if she continued to fight the Rider like she had. She had a job to do and it was about time that she went and got it done. She tensed herself like she was going to attack, but instead she leapt right over Kabuto and landed right in front of Serena. She didn't waste time in aiming her right bicep at her which the back star appeared on. The black beam of energy fired forward and collided with Serena's chest which caused her to scream in pain. It wasn't long before her heart crystal was drawn out. Senoshenta reached out and drew it into her hands. When she touched it she started smiling.

"This heart is so pure!" she cried in delight. "It's different from the others! It must be a talisman!"

Uranus and Neptune gasped, realizing that their enemy now had what they were looking for. Kabuto on the other hand did not seem so shocked. Whatever he was feeling could either be interpreted as not showing emotion at all or knowing something that someone didn't.

While Senoshenta was gloating, she didn't notice something being hurled at her until it grazed her face, causing her to drop the crystal. It hovered back over to Serena before entering her body again. Kabuto looked to the projectile to see that it was a rose before looking up to see the one who had thrown it. It was none other that the black-clad figure of Tuxedo Mask.

"A pure heart is a light that shines in the darkness!" he proclaimed. "I will protect that brilliance no matter what the cost!"

"Well said, Tuxedo Mask," Kabuto nodded silently before turning back to the Daimon.

Above the battle, Kaolinite hovered in the sky with a truly venomous scowl on her face. She had to deal with interference yet again! This time she may have truly found one of the talismans that her beloved had been seeking. There was no way that she was going to let this chance slip through her fingers. The Professor would never forgive her if she did. There was only one thing to do.

"Senoshenta! Just capture the girl and we can take her heart elsewhere!" she barked to her servant.

"Right," Sensoshenta nodded before turning to Serena. She took in a deep breath before blowing out a stream of a clear substance that was aimed right at her.

"Serena!" Tuxedo Mask cried before he leaped from his position and ended up right in front of her. The substance hit him and encased him in a large hunk of crystal. Serena's eyes widened in complete fear as she witnessed all this happening.

"Tusedo Mask!" she cried out in sadness and emotional pain.

Before she could start to really cry, Kaolinite appeared above them and smiled devilishly, "Well, not quite what I was hoping for but I can work with this. Kabuto, little girl, if you truly wish to save this man's life then you will meet me at the Tokyo Tower. You are more than welcome to bring any of the Scouts or Kamen Riders. It won't do any good really."

With a final laugh, Kaolinite snapped her fingers and vanished, taking the Daimon and Tuxedo Mask with her.

"Noooooo!" Serena cried, bursting out into tears. They trailed down her face before either soaking into her shirt or just falling to the ground.

From their vantage point, Uranus and Neptune had seen the whole thing.

"Looks like we know where we need to go," Uranus comented.

"Right," Neptune nodded, before the two of them leaped away and took to the rooftops.

Kabuto was quiet for a moment before he reset his Zector and pulled it out of his belt. The robotic insect quickly flew away while his armor began vanishing back into his belt. Tendou looked over to Serena and walked closer before kneeling down next to her.

"Crying won't do us any good," he commented. "Save your tears for when you get him back, Sailor Moon."

"Huh?!" Serena gasped in shock. "How'd you...I mean, you've got the wrong person!"

"I think not," Tendou smirked while standing up, helping Serena to her feet. "Tuxedo Mask had called you by name. He knows who you are and from how he had risked himself like that, he obviously cares for you to the point of love. I've only seen him go like that towards Sailor Moon. Either he is cheating on her or you and her are one in the same."

"Ummmm," Serena frowned insecurely. This guy was good!

"Besides, you and her share the same hairstyle," Tendou continued. "Two Japanese girls with blonde hair who share the same hairstyle? Not likely."

Serena frowned to the ground. This just wasn't her day after all. First she gets all depressed, then her boyfriend gets kidnapped, and now her secret identity gets blown. Normally she might ask what else could go wrong but she just didn't want to risk it. She looked up to see that Tendou had pulled out his cell phone and was dialing a number.

"New Guy," he spoke into the phone, making Serena perk up. If this guy was a Rider then there was only one person he would call New Guy. "It's Tendou. I'm with your friend Sailor Moon. Are you still with her friends? Good. Meet us at the construction site near the shopping centre."

"You're Tendou?" Serena blinked. "Kira's stepbrother?"

"Yes," Tendo nodded. "I take it he has been helpful in your activities?"

"Heck, yeah!" Serena nodded furiously. "That Clock Up stuff is so useful when it isn't being used on me!"

Tendou smirked. She didn't even know how powerful the Clock Up ability could be.

"Serena!" a new voice called urgently.

Tendou and Serena turned to see the Sailor Scouts and Hakabuto running towards them. The second they saw Tendou the girls started getting nervous that they acted familiar to Serena in their Scout outfits. Hakabuto was slightly nervous at seeing Tendou while he was with the Sailor Scouts.

"Relax, New Guy," Tendou smirked. "I worked it out for myself. Their secret is safe."

"Who are you anyway, mister?" Mars frowned. "How do you know us?"

"Like I said before, I am the man who walks the path of Heaven and will one day rule over everything," Tendou spoke while pointing to the sky. "Souji, Tendou!"

"Tendou?!" the girl save for Mercury gasped in shock.

"Uh huh!" Serena nodded. "And he's Kamen Rider Kabuto!"

"What?!" the girls cried in surprise.

"It's true," Tendou nodded. "But that isn't important now. We have a situation on our hands."

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The motley crew then traveled to Tokyo Tower in silence. However, they were not the same group that they were before. Sailor Venus looked like she was missing and there were two girls dressed in white and blue with their hair done up in dual ponytails. The only difference was that the schoolgirl had buns on her head while the other did not. The other Scouts were there along with Hakabuto and Kabuto (both in Rider Form).

"Kami-sama, help us," Hakabuto sighed. "Let this work."

"Of course it will work," 'Sailor Moon' chirped. "This is a flawless disguise!"

Hakabuto shook his head and looked to the sky, "Kami-sama, if you truly love us, let this plan work."

Why the reason for Venus to be disguised as Sailor Moon? Well, Kaolinite was expecting Serena to appear as herself. That and she was expecting the Riders and Scouts to appear as well. If Sailor Moon didn't appear but Serena did, Kaolinite might be able to figure out her identity.

Serena heaved a deep breath, gathering her courage before she started marching forward. The other Scouts and the two Kamen Riders followed behind her. Ahead of them, the main doors were wide open. Strange, how they looked like jaws of a beast at the moment. Everyone except for Kabuto had at least some small well of doubt within them. It only became much more apparent as they drew closer. When Serena stepped through the doorways of Tokyo Tower, the doors instantly slammed shut in front of the others.

"Serena!" Sailor Mars cried out, catching the girls' attention.

Everyone was pounding on the doors but the glass had been reinforced by some kind of energy source. Serena just watched her friends try to get inside but it was proving to be fruitless. She remained quiet for a moment before gulping and started heading for the elevators.

The Scouts tried to get her to stop and wait for them to get inside but Serena was absolute in her resolve. The girls kept pounding away before Kabuto and Hakabuto backed away slightly.

"If we cannot get inside by the door then we take the stairs," Kabuto spoke before dashing to the stairs. Hakabuto was close behind and the Scouts had heard before they dashed for the stairs as well. One really didn't appreciate juts how tall Tokyo Tower was until they had to take the stairs all the way to the top. Along the way they started hearing explosions that echoed into the night. This just prompted everyone to run that much faster. It felt like they had taken forever but they did eventually reach the top. However, the sight that beheld them was not one that they welcomed.

Sailor Uranus and Neptune could be seen fighting against Kaolinite and her Daimon creation. Both older girls looked like they had seen better days and they both looked pretty close to murderous. Magic attacks were cutting through the air like shooting stars and the Daimon had encased about half the room in crystal. Tuxedo Mask was in a corner still in his prison, but Serena was by far the worst off.

She was laying against the wall sitting down with an empty look in her eyes. She wasn't moving or reacting to the scene at all. By her side were bits and pieces of crystal that still gave a faint glow. These fragments were a deep red and still sparkled in the low light. It was obvious to everyone what these pieces were from. Serena's heart crystal had been broken. Shattered to pieces.

"No," Mars whispered, oblivious to the battle as tears came to her eyes.

"It can't be," Jupiter trembled.

"Why?" Mercury whispered, tears already coming down her face.

Venus was still beyond words as her entire body trembled.

The Sailor Scouts immediately raced over to their leader and friend and all began to give silent tears of grief. The battle didn't matter anymore. Nothing around them mattered anymore. What only mattered now was that their leader and precious friend was gone. Her body was still alive but without her heart she would only end up dying in a matter of time anyway. They didn't know what else to do but grieve at the moment.

Hakabuto felt a measure of grief that the Scouts did. He hadn't known Serena as long but she had already become a close friend. She was the one who had introduced him to Lita, resulting in the relationship that they had now. She was a bright and sunny person who you really couldn't keep down for long. Now this battle had claimed her life. taking a few shaky steps forward, Hakabuto felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Turning, he looked to see Kabuto looking at him.

"Grandmother said this: the world is a bright and ever changing place, but rarely do we ever not get a second chance at something," he spoke gravely.

"What are you talking about?!" Hakabuto hissed. "She's dead! How can we ever change that now?"

Kabuto looked out to the broken windows and raised his hand into the air. The air outside shimmered for a moment before a Zector came flying inside and landed in Kabuto's hand. It looked like a kabuto beetle and was red and grey with green eyes. On its back was a button with the Zect symbol on it. Hakabuto recognized it from what Kagami told him about what the Riders had access to.

"Hyper Zector," Hakabuto gasped. If what Kagami said was true then they just might be able to save Serena!

Kabuto turned to face his younger companion before holding out the small device to him, "You say you break the chains of destiny to forge a new path. Let us see if you can truly accomplish this."

Hakabuto looked at the Hyper Zector and immediately took it into his hand. One last glance at the Scouts was all the incentive he needed. He brought the Hyper Zector to the left side of his belt before snapping it into place.

"Hyper Cast Off!" he called before pushing the horn of the beetle down.

"HYPER CAST OFF!" the Zector echoed.

Energy bolts began racing all over Hakabuto's body as his armor began to change. Gold armor appeared over his arms and legs while his hands were now covered with gold mechanics of some kind. His shoulders thickened with golden armor plates while his right shoulder plate became a bit more menacing looking. His back armor also changed as it took on the appearance of what a beetles shell would look like. His chest armor also changed. The sides were both golden in the appearance of his horns. The right side reached his shoulder while the left had half that length. The rest was a bright silver. His helmet had changed just as much. The main body of the helmet had turned silver while his eyes had turned blue. The horns became larger and more angular, not to mention intimidating.

"CHANGE HYPER HERCULES BEETLE!"

Kabuto nodded in acknowledgement. After all, using a Hyper Zector was close to impossible. Kagami had only managed it once.

Hyper Hakabuto felt the power surge through his body but he didn't let it distract him. Raising his left hand, he hit the button on the Hyper Zector's back, "Hyper Clock Up!"

"HYPER CLOCK UP!"

Energy began racing through his body again as his armor activated. On his arms and legs, fins ejected which looked like they were styled after Hakabuto's horns. The shell on his back opened as two insect wings of pure energy unfolded. Soon Hyper Hakabuto was engulfed in the power before he vanished from sight.

"God speed, Hakabuto," Kabuto muttered before he started walking forward to battle Kaolinite and the Daimon.

----------------------------------(Several Minutes Ago)--------------------------------------

Kabuto was already running for the stairs of the tower with Hakabuto close behind. The Scouts had already figured out that they couldn't get through the doors so they followed the Riders to the stairs. Before they really could touch them though, Hakabuto vanished from their sights.

"Huh?" Jupiter blinked. "Where'd he go?"

Kabuto looked back to see his younger companion gone from sight, _'Well well. Looks like New Guy learned a new trick._'

Now Kabuto knew that Serena would be fine in the end.

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Kaolinite held Serena's heart crystal in her hands as Sailor Neptune and Uranus fought the Daimon to get to it. Tuxedo Mask was still in his crystal prison. Kaolinite frowned. The crystal was unlike any other, for sure, but like the others before it held no talisman. All the aggrivation of tonight and she had only hit a dead end. Well, she wasn't going to leave without some measure of satisfaction.

"Useless," she growled as she attempted to crush it, much to the horror of Tuxedo Mask.

"HYPER CLOCK OVER!"

Kaolinite gasped at the announcement and looked into her hand to see the heart crystal missing.

"Breaking the chains of destiny to forge my own path," Hyper Hakabuto said as he held the crystal protectively in his hand, "I am Kamen Rider Hakabuto, Hyper Form!"

Neptune, Uranus, Kaolinite, the Daimon and Tuxedo Mask gaped at the upgraded Kamen Rider. This was no longer the same Hakabuto they knew before. He appeared more powerful than before and also radiated an aura of power if the armor wasn't evident enough. Neptune squinted her eyes to notice some sort of device attached to Hyper Hakabuto's belt. It was never there before and she wondered if it was responsible for Hakabuto's current appearance.

The other Scouts and Kabuto had just arrived and the Scouts gasped in shock at Hakabuto's new appearance as well. Kabuto nodded, knowing that he was partly responsible for Hakabuto's ascension.

The Daimon charged at Hakabuto but the Hyper Rider just threw his fist. The force of the punch sent the Daimon sailing.

"CLOCK OVER!"

"RIDER KICK!"

The Daimon was sent sailing towards Gatack (Rider Form) who had just arrived in time and with a powerful tornado kick, the Daimon was destroyed. The seed fell and shattered before the smoke ghost was blown in the wind. An emerald shoe came to rest next to the seed remains. Gatack took one look at Hakabuto and whistled.

"Damn, New Guy," Gatack said, impressed, "You too, huh?"

Kabuto casually walked towards Tuxedo Mask's crystal prison while pressing the buttons on his Zector. "1, 2, 3," it responded before he reset the horn and then pulled it. "RIDER KICK!"

"Brace yourself," Kabuto said before he unleashed his kick, shattering the crystal and freeing Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask landed on his feet, conveniently next to Hakabuto. Hakabuto handed the heart crystal to him.

"Go," Hakabuto said. "Save her. We'll handle the rest." Tuxedo Mask nodded and ran towards Serena.

Kaolinite now found herself cornered by three Riders. One of which was now upgraded and stronger than before. She knew that they were not about to leave so she had no choice but to fight. Even if she could try to teleport away, the Professor was expecting some measure of success and returning with nothing but failure yet again will surely see her 'removed' from the operations. The only way she could pull off a success now is to destroy her beloved's enemies!

Knowing that she would need more space, Kaolinite leapt through one of the broken observation windows and landed on one of the iron platforms. Kabuto, Hakabuto, and Gatack were close behind as they leapt after her. Serena and the Scouts, along with Tuxedo Mask, all reached the window to witness the battle.

"Shouldn't we be helping them?" asked Jupiter, worried for her boyfriend.

"We may just end up getting in the way," Mercuy replied. "We have no idea what Hakabuto's new armor is capable of. At least with Kabuto and Gatack, they would know what they are dealing with in fighting alongside this new Hakabuto."

"She has a point," Neptune commented to Uranus.

Uranus frowned. She didn't like the Riders getting in the way but this time she decided to let it slide. If they hadn't then Serena's heart would have been crushed and Kaolinite would have gotten away.

Kaolinite eyed her three opponents warily. She lingered on Hakabuto for a moment, slightly afraid of what he was now capable of. If a situation warranted her personal product then this was it.

"You know, Hakabuto," she smiled as she summoned the second emerald shoe to her hands. "You aren't the only one with an upgrade on hand."

She removed a vial from her bracelet and held it out for the Riders to see. It looked like it was made of crystal and it was filled with a red liquid.

"What you see before you is in fact the essence of a Daimon," she explained with a smirk. "Through some personal experimentation of my own, I had discovered a new use for it. By allowing it to fuse with the shoe here..."

She finished her sentence by poring thee liquid into the shoe in front of her. The shoe glowed brightly then began shifting form. It changed until it had become a copy of Senoshenta's sword.

"I claim any and all powers that the Daimon it could have created would have! In this case, Senoshenta!"

Kaolinite gripped the sword and slashed at the Riders. She was too far away to actually cut them, but a wave of crystals did fly from the attack straight at them. The Riders all ducked to the sides but the metal of the tower behind them did not fare so well. It all became entombed within crystal.

"Okay," Gatack commented as he drew his blades. "Note to self: don't get hit by the crystal."

"Remarkable deduction," Hyper Hakabuto commented dryly.

Kabuto was already up and running at Kaoloinite with his Kabuto Kunai at the ready. He took a slash at Kaolinite who parried the blow and tried to stab him in the side. The red Rider leaped back before dodging to the side to let Gatack pass who started a slashing frenzy trying to hit her. Kaolinite managed to dodge them all or parry them. Either she was using her own skills or what Senoshenta would use if she hadn't been sucker-punched and then Rider Kicked. After a final slash, Kaolinite let loose another wave of crystals which made the two Riders have to back off in order to avoid.

Hyper Hakabuto had waited for the opportunity, seeing that the barrage was thinning out, he started charging. Crystals pelted against his armor but the barrage was losing power so he didn't get trapped. It was more like going through some freezing rain. Kaolinite gasped as she saw him racing at her and she couldn't release the barrage soon enough.

"Hiyaaaa!" Hyper Hakabuto bellowed before landing a forward punch into Kaolinite's chest. The force of the blow sent her skidding several feet back. She started coughing from the blow and little flecks of blood came up since she wasn't quite healed from the Rider Kick that Kick Hopper had dealt her. She was thankful that a Daimon's toughness was there for her or else she would have been down. Sucking up the pain, she glared at Hyper Hakabuto with an angry frown.

"How dare you touch my chest!" she snapped, trying to go for head games. In her own opinion, Hyper Hakabuto seemed younger than the other Riders. She might try churning his hormones to distract him so she could claim victory. "Who do you think you are fondling me anyway!?"

Above at the 'spectator seats' Jupiter felt a twinge of anger at Kaolinite accusing Hakabuto, accusing HER man, of being a pervert. Hakabuto was nothing short of a gentleman!

"Fondling you?" Hyper Hakabuto laughed. "Lady, I thought those two balls in your shirt were meat buns you were saving for later because they must be fakes. My girlfriend has a way nicer bust than you so get over yourself!"

'_Oops!_' Hyper Hakabuto sweat-dropped inwardly. '_Of all the times to let my mouth run away with me!_'

Jupiter had heard what he said loud and clear and was furiously trying to keep her blush inside. It didn't help that Venus was giggling like crazy. Jupiter knew that she would have to talk to him later, but weither or not he would be punished is still up in the air.

"Why you little-!" Kaolinite roared, her pride now hurting along with her body, before sending another wave of crystals. Hyper Hakabuto was hard-pressed to dodge but he managed it. While Kaolinite was mixed in her rage though, she hadn't noticed that Gatack had come around to her side and was aiming to slash her. She did spot him at the last minute and managed to roll out of the way before unleashing a slash which sent sparks flying off his chest armor. He quickly recovered though and backed away.

"Time to bring out the big guns," Hyper Hakabuto spoke before he hit the Hyper Zector. "Hyper Clock Up!"

"HYPER CLOCK UP!"

Everyone witnessing the fight gasped in surprise as they saw the fins extend from Hyper Hakabuto's body before his wings unfolded and he vanished again

The world didn't really change for Hyper Hakabuto this time. Instead, everything slowed down to the point of almost going in reverse. Acting quickly, Hyper Hakabuto dashed forward and proceeded to punch Kaolinite again. The force sent her flying again. This time she crashed against a support pillar.

"HYPER CLOCK OVER!"

Everything started moving at normal speed again and the fins retracted back into Hyper Hakabuto's armor. Kaolinite was struggling to stand as the witnesses were shocked and amazed. They hadn't even seen him vanish in a blur like the other Riders when they Clocked Up. He just vanished and that was it! Both Kabuto and Gatack stepped to either side of Hyper Hakabuto. The gold Rider reached to his Hyper Zector before pushing down the handle again.

"MAXIMUM RIDER POWER!" it called.

The three Riders then reached to their normal Zectors and began hitting the buttons.

"1,2,3," they called before their respective horns were reset,

"Rider Kick," Kabuto and Gatack called.

"Hyper Kick!" Hyper Hakabuto called.

"RIDER KICK!" the Zectors called.

Kabuto and Gatack dashed forward while Hyper Hakabuto took a flying leap, with emphasis on flying because of the energy output coming from his back and sending him forward. Kaolinite brought up her sword in a vain attempt to defend herself. The three Riders had their right foot extended as they bore down on their target. Kaolinite's sword managed to block their way and take the wrath of the attack. Unfortunately, the sword shattered into pieces and a fine diamond dust coated Kaolinite. She gasped in realization as her body started getting covered in crystal.

"Nooooooo!" she cried out before her head was engulfed. Then all was silent as Kaolinite was now within her own tomb of crystal.

"Wow," Serena breathed. "THAT WAS SO COOL!"

"Y'know," Venus commented. "That new armor makes Hakabuto look kinda hunky."

"Ahem!" Jupiter frowned as she glared at her friend. Venus just sweat-dropped and laughed nervously after voicing her thoughts.

"It's only a compliement!" Venus added quickly. "He's yours and only yours!"

Further talk was halted when the tower started to shake and a hunk of iron caught in crystal broke off and fell, hitting the section that Kaolinite was on and making her fall into the dark depths below.

"We'd better get out of here!" Tuxedo Mask called as he grabbed Serena.

The Riders came to a similar conclusion before they all Clocked Up and headed for the exits.

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Later, when everyone had calmed down, the girls and Yagami were back at Raye's house to finish off what was left of the party. Amy was fussing about not studying while Mina was commenting about how Serena and Darien were all over each other. Lita had dragged Yagami outside for some alone time.

"Kira," Lita began. "What you said to that woman."

"Uh," Yagami blushed. "The bust part or the meaning behind it where I find you way more attractive than her?"

"Both I guess," Lita shrugged. "I mean, she looked so...I don't even know the word for it but she was very good looking."

"So are you," Yagami argued. "So what if her bust was an eye catching size or that she was seriously underdressed? I only have eyes for you and no one else."

Lita smiled brightly with her cheeks a cute shade of pink. She kissed Yagami on the cheek again before capturing him in a hug. She just couldn't help but feel very womanly at the moment.

"HEY YOU GUYS THIS ISN'T A HOTEL!" Raye's voice could be heard from where she was laying in bed.

"Do you think Raye wants us to go home?" Lita asked teasingly.

"Maybe," Yagami shrugged.

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Haruka and Michelle were back at their home and discussing about the events of the day. To be more specific, they were discussing about the Riders, especially Hakabuto's latest upgrade.

"Just how much stronger can these Riders get?" Haruka questioned. The power that Hakabuto had displayed was frightening and the way he just vanished made her fear if he was listening in on them. Unlike the Inners, both Outers knew next to nothing about the Rider System besides getting hit by a Rider Kick and Punch. They were pretty much in the dark

"I noticed a machine attached to Hakabuto's belt," Michelle told her. "I think it's responsible for his transformation."

"We have to get rid of that thing somehow. With that kind of power, the Riders will be an even bigger threat to our mission."

Michelle just sighed but Haruka had a point. The Riders were becoming even more powerful than before.

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Luna had received a call from Serena and was relieved to hear that she was safe. She was grateful to the Riders for saving Serena's life but when she heard about Hakabuto upgrade, dubbed Hyper Form' she grew a little nervous. The Riders were already so powerful, but now they could ascend to a Hyper Form. She was just grateful that the Riders were on their side.

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Inside his lab, Professor Tomoe had received a phone call.

"Really?" he asked. "So, Kaolinite has been killed eh?"

There was silence for a moment, "Very well. I will leave you in charge where she left off Eudiel. Don't screw up. I'm counting on you."

With that, the Professor hung up the phone. His thoughts then turned to the upgrade that the Riders seemed to have waiting for them. The Riders were already a force to be reconed with on their own. How was he going to counter them and this new upgrade?

To Be Continued...

A SUPERHERO MINUTE!

Yagami: Whew, now that was a tough battle!

Serena: Now maybe the attacks might slow down a little.

Raye: I wouldn't count on it, meatball-brain

Kagami: Oh you have to be kidding! I thought we were done!

Lita: Hey, Kira! The festival is this week and I thought we could go together!

Yagami: Sure, but who's that girl Raye's talking too?

Mina: You don't think Raye is changing her taste?

Haruka: She's the newest target!

Michelle: And there's a new enemy too!

Tendou: Things are far from over

Next Episode:

Arrival of the Tiny Scout! Legend of the Kamen Riders!

Yagami: Please look forward to it!

A/N: I just want to thank ZK Chromedragozoid for helping me edit and beta read. I hope you all enjoy too. See you next chapter!


	16. Arrival of the Tiny Scout!

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. They belong to their respective creators and not me. Anyone who says otherwise, well, I'm not sure at this point but it can't be healthy to think that after so long.

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 15: Arrival of the Tiny Scout! Legend of the Kamen Riders

Lita stood in a grassy field that was surrounded by forest. The sun was shining brightly giving the entire area something on a peaceful brightness. Lita looked down to see she was donned in a beautiful emerald green ballroom gown that was perfect for a princess. An emerald necklace was around her neck and her usual rose earrings hung delicately from her ears. Her hair was styled as it usually was and the wind gently ran through it. Looking around, it seemed that she was alone.

A gentle clopping noise caught her attention and she turned towards the source. Coming out of the forest was a beautiful white horse. On its back was a glorious knight donned in golden armor that shone like a star when the sunlight hit it. Despite the shine coming of the brilliant steel, Lita didn't have to shield her eyes, nor did she want to. She wanted to drink in the sight of this figure for as long as she could.

The golden knight turned his helmet towards her and seemed to gaze at her for a moment. After which, he turned his steed towards her and gently clopped in her direction. Lita felt her heart beat faster than before. What could a knight like this want with her?

Coming to a stop, the knight dismounted his steed. Gazing at Lita again, he walked towards her before coming to a stop in front of her. Lita could almost make out his face though the eyeholes in the armor. The knight gently reached up with his let hand and brought it to rest, gently caressing the side of Lita's face. Reaching up the knight's hand, she felt her fingers touch the surface of a bracelet that was around his wrist. When she did, her sight was engulfed in bright light. As it dimmed, Lita's eyes widened when she saw who it was before her. It was Kira, wearing clothes that were fit for a prince.

"I missed you, my princess," he whispered into her ear.

"And I missed you," Lita replied in an equally soft voice.

Kira smiled before taking her hand. He gently guided her over to his horse before the two of them mounted it. Lita sat sidesaddle as they rode through the shady forest. The feeling of the wind in her hail and the warmth she received by holding onto Kira was wonderful. She just enjoyed the intimacy of the moment while she continued to ride with her prince.

Eventually, the horse came to a halt. Kira dismounted first before he lifted her off the saddle and gently set her on the ground. Seeing her surroundings, she found herself gazing at a gazebo that was in the middle of a clearing with beams of sunshine falling on it from the breaks in the trees. Kira smiled at the surprised look on her face before leading her inside of the gazebo.

When they were inside, Kira gently held her in his embrace. He brought up his right hand and caressed the side of her face again. She loved the sensation and she felt her heart beating faster when he was bringing his face closer. Lita likewise leaned in closer. Their lips were millimeters apart when...

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RING! RING! RING! RING!

...Lita rose from the covers of her bed in reaction to an alarm going off. She blinked for a moment before hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock. Heaving a disappointed sigh, she flopped back into her warm covers and soft pillow.

"Shoot," she mumbled. " And it was such a good dream too."

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Deep inside the confines of his underground laboratory, Professor Tomoe was, for a change, not working on another Daimon, but was on the phone. He was silent as the ring tone continued to go off. He knew who he was calling and he knew that they were there. Where else would they be?

At another section of the lab, behind a steel door marked 'Witches 5', the phone was ringing. It was placed next to a computer where a woman in a lab coat and ponytails in her red hair. She also had small glasses on her face as well. A red star earring could be seen on her right ear. After tapping some commands into her computer, she reached to the phone and picked it up. She already knew who it was.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked as she brought it to her ear.

"Eudial, I've read through your report," the Professor replied. "Considering the past failures as well I think it's high time that we change tactics."

"Very well," the woman known as Eudial agreed.

"I hope that you have picked a worthy target," the Professor spoke seriously.

"I have," Eudial confirmed as she pulled up a profile on her computer. "She's a taiko player who is very much dedicated to her art. All factors point to her having a pure heart. It is very much possible that she has a talisman."

"Good," the Professor commented. "Don't screw it up."

With that, the Professor hung up. Eudial likewise hung up the phone. Turning back to the computer, she began to start typing commands into the electronic device. After she put it in, she tapped the enter key.

At the press of the button, an entire mechanism began to activate. It was an automated machine that had thousands of vials of red fluid with Daimon seeds in them. The vials were all moving through the mechanics before one was inserted into a slot on top of a chamber. Inside of the chamber was a small taiko drum that was quickly sealed inside. When the chamber was secured, the red fluid along with the Daimon seed was drained into the chamber. Red smoke started to seep from the creases of the chamber. Soon the sounds of something alive could be heard inside of it.

When the process was completed, a large metal box with the black star of the Deathbusters on it came down a conveyer belt towards a white minivan that had the same black star on it. Eudial could be seen next to the vehicle, ensuring that nothing was happening to the case. Satisfied that nothing was going to happen to it, she closed the trunk of her vehicle before getting inside. She drove a short distance through the facility before coming to stop on a platform. It suddenly shifted as she put on her seatbelt. The platform moved as it brought the car to the surface.

The park was silent save for a loving couple who were cuddling on a bench. Everything seemed calm for the moment. Of course, that all changed in a split second. The water in the middle of a pond started to froth and bubble furiously. The couple noticed it and dared to peer closer. A shadow appeared in the water, signaling that something was coming up before a huge crash of water came up along with a car. Said car landed on one of the pathways before the driver began to burn rubber straight out of there.

The couple could only blink at what they had seen.

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The day had been long and finally school was out. Today involved Serena, Amy, Mina, Lita, and Yagami all walking down the street together. Lita and Yagami were holding hands, but Lita had a pink hue to her cheeks at the moment. The dream she had during the night was still on her mind. It had been beautiful; her as a beautiful princess and Kira as her handsome knight in shining armor. It brought Goosebumps to her skin. Serena was busy talking with some high enthusiasm to all of them.

"Hey, did you all hear?" she asked, changing the subject yet again. "The festival is tonight and I hear it's going to have a lot of fun things to do!"

"Sure did, Serena," Mina smiled. "I want to go so badly!"

"Say, Kira-kun," Lita smiled as she turned to her boyfriend. "Do you think you'll be able to come to the festival with me?"

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing, Lita-chan," Yagami smiled as he replied. Lita cheeks went pink again. That was the same way he had smiled at her in the dream. Oh, if only there were riding on a horse followed by both of them under a gazebo things would be so perfect!

Serena quickly turned to Amy and clasped her hands while taking up the puppy dog eyes, as she pleaded, "Can we go, pleeeeeeaaase, Amy?"

"We might as well," Mina reasoned. "Raye cancelled the study session anyway."

"It would be good to take a day off, wouldn't it?" Amy pondered with a smile.

"Why did Raye cancel on us anyway?" Lita wondered.

That thought left the four girls and one boy to ponder for a moment. As they were thinking for some kind of reason why their friend had suddenly cancelled their study session straight out of the blue, a sudden gust of wind blew past in the form of someone on a bicycle. Everyone watched the person go past at less than safe speeds. The rider then started a skidding stop, trying to stop in front of a coffee shop. The group of friends winced when the rider crashed. Now that the person riding the bike was slower now, they could see that it was Raye. That and she was limping her way into the coffee shop.

"Where's the fire?" Yagami blinked.

"What do you think she was in such a hurry for?" wondered Mina.

"I think we'd better find out," Serena spoke up with a gleam in her eyes.

The other girls all agreed and before Yagami could even attempt to try and talk them out of it, Serena, Mina, and Lita had dragged him and a protesting Amy inside of the coffee house.

The group (3 eager girls, one reluctant girl and another reluctant boy) quietly entered and took a seat far enough so they could watch (spy on) Raye and remain unseen. Yagami decided not to comment since he knew what they were like and pitied Amy as she was reluctantly dragged into this. She was the most reasonable member of the group. Of course, she was still a girl like them and was prone to outbursts due to something romantic going on

Raye was seated at a table, looking at her watch. She looked like she was waiting for someone. But who?

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Kamemaru walked around town. As he did, he saw various posters on walls with pictures of the Kamen Riders. He chuckled a bit since back in their home dimension, the existence of the Riders and Worms had to be covered up for security purposes. Though he had to get used to it, it felt nice to be adored by many!

Walking by, he saw a group of children with masks on their faces that…masks that looked like the Kamen Riders. He smiled as one boy wore a Zabee mask while another wore a Kabuto mask and the other two with them wore Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper masks.

"We should get paid for that," Kamemaru said.

Megumi was with her boyfriend. She was a nice kid, but sometimes he needed to get away from his cute little fangirl. So far, she and her boyfriend had kept their promise to keep his and Kira's identities as Riders a secret. He was also amused when Megumi showed her a scrapbook with pictures of the Kamen Riders, most of the pictures comprised of him in his Zabee armor. It would seem that out of all the Riders, she liked him the best.

He had heard that the 'New Guy' had a girlfriend from his talks with Kagami, another fellow Rider who worked for Zect. Kagami acted like an older brother to Yagami, annoying the heck out of the kid with his teasing. Again, this amused Kamemaru, thinking about the 'New Guy' the youngest and yet one of the best Riders he had ever met.

He stopped by a newsstand and picked up a magazine with a picture of the Riders. Flipping a page, he read "WHO ARE THE KAMEN RIDERS?". It was an article about the Kamen Riders since their first public appearance up until now. There were even prints of letters from 'Kamen Rider fans' who worshipped them.

"See something interesting?" he heard a voice ask and he turned to see Daisuke smiling at him.

"Oh, Daisuke," Kamemaru smiled back. "It's you. What bring you here?"

"The usual, my friend," Daisuke nodded. He looked over Kamemaru's shoulder and then frowned. "Not enough pictures of Drake."

"Speaking of Drake," Kamemaru frowned, "What is this I've been hearing about you giving your Zector away? Don't you know how valuable it is?"

"I do, but even I deserve a vacation once in a while, don't I?" Kamemaru shook his head. "And, the boy I entrusted it too needs it to win the heart of a girl he loves."

"Really now?" Kamemaru cocked an eyebrow.

"How about we talk over a cup of coffee? There is a coffee shop right behind us."

Kamemaru shrugged, "Why not?"

The two Riders walked towards the coffee shop and Daisuke popped another question, "So, I've heard that you got yourself a personal fangirl. Is she cute?"

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As Daisuke and Kamemaru entered the coffee shop, Yagami's eyes went wide. _'What are they doing here_?' he thought in his mind.

Raye had raised her head towards the entrance but frowned when she realized it wasn't the person she was waiting for. She recognized one of the men as a friend of Yagami's from a previous meeting and another one as someone who often frequented the temple.

Kamemaru was looking for a seat when he noticed Yagami sitting at a table with several other girls. He recognized them from the love competition. They all seemed intent on watching another girl in a red dress. It didn't take Kamemaru long to recognized her from the love competition either.

"Now what is New Guy doing spying on her?" he mumbled.

"Hm?" Daisuke asked before spotting Yagami with the girls. "Well now, I must say I'm almost jealous. I knew Amy was quite attractive but I had no idea that all of New Guy's friends were such beautiful flowers. I wonder if one of them is this Lita I've been hearing about."

"That would be the brunette sitting next to him," Kamemaru smiled. "Shall we go say hello?"

"I believe we should," Daisuke agreed.

Yagami grimaced slightly as he saw Kamemaru and Daisuke walking towards their booth. The girls didn't seem to notice since they were too engrossed in spying on Raye and seeing who she would be meeting. They still didn't notice even when Kamemaru and Daisuke stood next to their booth and followed their sight to look at Raye.

"Why are we looking at Ms. Hino?" asked Daisuke.

"WAAAGH!" the girls cried in surprise. They all turned to see who was talking to them. Many of the girls recognized Kamemaru, both from the old house where the cats were and from the love competition. Amy was the only one of the girls who recognized Daisuke.

"It's a little confusing, but the majority of us think she's here on a date," Yagami replied, having already seen them coming. "How have you guys been?"

"Well enough," Kamemaru shrugged. "Megumi has been going into fangirl mode on the Kamen Riders."

"I have been well," Daisuke smiled, "Although, I am a little envious that you get to spend all your time around these beautiful flowers."

The girls all blushed at the compliment. It wasn't often that they met someone who would compliment them like that. Mina had started pondering if Daisuke was single while Lita just held Yagami's arm somewhat tighter with a content smile.

"So, what makes you think that your friend is on a date?" asked Kamemaru.

"What else could it be?" asked Serena incredulously. "Why else would someone come here alone unless they were on a date?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Yagami volunteered. None of the girls seemed to hear him.

While they were talking, another person entered the establishment. She looked about average with red-brown hair that was about neck length. She seemed to be a pleasant person. She was also wearing a set of casual clothes, a tee-shirt and jeans. She peered around the cafe before spotting Raye. Letting out a small smile, she walked over to the young miko's table before taking a seat across from Raye.

"Oh!" Raye smiled. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Sorry for being late," the girl smiled apologetically.

Meanwhile, the girls, Yagami, and the two men watched on in growing interest. For what it looked like, it was a date between the two women. Pretty soon, the girls were starting to get some ideas on what was going on between Raye and her friend.

"Do you really think Raye is on a date?" asked Mina curiously.

"Maybe she's a guy dressed as a girl?" pondered Lita. This just earned a sweat-drop from Yagami. It seemed obvious to him that Raye's friend was a girl. At least Chad wasn't there to jump to conclusions about anything like he did last time.

"I can't hear anything," Serena frowned. "We need to get closer!"

"Does this happen often, New Guy?" asked Kamemaru.

"Too often for my tastes," Yagami sighed before the girls started sneaking towards Raye's booth. Lita had grabbed Yagami's hand and dragged him along for the ride. They were actually hiding behind a waitress who was walking towards the booth to serve Raye and her friend.

As the waitress stepped closer, the friends kept silent as they tried to keep out of sight. The majority of them were determined to hear what Raye and this new girl were talking about. Amy was embarrassed about this invasion of privacy but she was still curious. Yagami was just hoping that Raye wasn't going to kill them outright when she caught them.

Raye was chatting with her friend before her eyes narrowed and she looked in the direction that the waitress was approaching in. The friends all gasped in shock to see her turning towards them. In an impressive display of reflexes, the scrambled to hide behind the waitress and out of sight. Unfortunately, with all their scrambling, they got the poor waitress caught in the mix. With a cry of surprise, the waitress tripped. Sadly, she had a cup of coffee with her and her sudden trip caused it to go flying through the air. No one could react fast enough before it came splashing down on Raye's head.

"Ack!" she cried, scrambling on the spot. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"Uh-oh," Serena mumbled. Even she knew what was coming next.

"I can't believe all of you!" Raye shouted angrily, glaring at her friends. "I just knew you were there! Why did you have to start spying on me?!"

Yagami withheld the comment that this was payback for him and Lita after she and the others tried to listen in on the couple when his identity as Hakabuto had been found out. However, he decided that given Raye's current mood, it would not be a great idea to mention that at the moment. She looked mad enough to spit nails at the moment.

"Uh...uh...uh," Serena sputtered, trying to find an excuse.

Raye's friend giggled at the floor show before she started talking, "Don't worry about it. I'd be happy to help out. You can count me in."

"Really?!" Raye gasped, her attitude doing a complete 180.

"Yes," the girls nodded. "I'll see you at the festival."

With a smile and a wave, the girl left. Once she was out of sight, they turned back to Raye. She seemed to be visibly calmer now. The slight frown on her face didn't seem to want to go away just yet. Yagami was the first one who got the courage enough to speak again.

"So...are you going to tell us what's going on or are you going to shout at us some more?" he asked.

Raye allowed her temper to simmer for a moment as her friends took their seats around her. After a moment she started to speak again, "Well, I'm a member of 'the organization to make Juuban Matsuri more exciting'. I'm only a member because one of my grandfather's friends asked me to."

"So who was it that you were talking to?" asked Mina.

"Is she your date?" Serena asked bluntly.

"She's not my date!" Raye denied heatedly. "Her name is Maya Touno. She's a genius drum player that I was hoping to have playing at the festival. I'm pretty sure that she would make it more exciting."

"Wow," Serena smiled with sparkles in her eyes. "Hey Raye, can I play a drum too?"

"Hmmm," Raye pondered, a sinister gleam coming to her eyes. "I think that we can find you a drum to play at the festival."

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The night of the festival had finally rolled around and everyone was having fun. Well, almost everyone. Serena was hitting a drum like she had asked, but it was only a tiny drum that was used to attract people to the goldfish-catching game. Raye had suckered her friends into tending to the goldfish-catching game for the night. Serena was less than happy abut this but everyone else seemed to be enjoying it. Lita and Amy were even helping the smaller children get a fish.

"I don't think that's good for business," Mina said, referring to Serena's drum playing.

A group of boys then walked up to the group and looked up to Mina, "Hey, grandma! We wanna play too!"

Mina stiffened at the insult and growled slightly. Silently fuming at being called 'grandma', she took out three of the paper spoons that were used to capture the goldfish. While no one was looking, she flicked the paper to weaken it. She then handed the spoons to the three boys. They eagerly went to the fish, but they didn't get far before the fish they targeted broke through the paper.

"Oh, well," Mina smirked. "That's business."

"And that was cruel," came a voice from behind her. Mina quickly turned around to see Yagami looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah he he he he," Mina laughed nervously. She was busted.

Yagami shook his head at the antics. He was helping with boxes of paper spoons and extra goldfish. He liked the festival so far. Granted, he wasn't spending time with Lita like he had hoped, but it was still something to see her in a yukata. That made his night alone special. Lita looked up from where she was helping a little girl and found her boyfriend gazing at her. Yagami blushed at being caught while Lita blushed at what she had found out. It was little things like that which made Lita feel very feminine and attractive.

Tendou and Kagami were nowhere to be seen and neither were Kageyama and Yugurama. Tsurugi hadn't made an appearance and as for Daisuke…

Well, last time Yagami checked, he had seen Daisuke setting up a booth to paint children's faces. He chuckled at seeing the makeup artist applying face paints on children instead of makeup on women. But, he had to make money somehow.

As Serena kept hitting the drum in attempt to get people to play the game, she noticed two familiar faces in the crowd coming closer.

"Haruka! Michelle!" she called happily. "Over here!"

The two older women noticed Serena and walked over to say hello. Both of them had smiles on their faces. Michelle was dressed in an elegant yukata and Haruka was dressed like a man as always. They looked like couple enjoying the festival.

"Looks like all of you are having fun," Haruka snickered as she watched everyone working.

"I agree," Michelle nodded. "I think it would be fun to try ourselves."

"I suppose I could use some animal company around the house," Haruka shrugged.

Paying for a paper spoon, Haruka kneeled in close to the container of water where goldfish were swimming in content. Haruka watched them all carefully as she selected a target. Moving with extreme grace and speed, she scooped a goldfish into a bowl which had been provided for her. Satisfied with her victory, she handed the fish to Michelle, who had a smile on her face.

"You were right," Haruka smiled. "It was fun."

"I told you," Michelle giggled as the two of them walked away. It seemed to be a picturesque moment, watching them go.

"Wow," Serena sighed. "No matter what they do, they always seem to be very god at it."

Yagami watched them go a little longer before he saw some kids wearing Kamen Rider masks rush past the female couple. He could have sworn that he saw Haruka stiffen for a second but dismissed it. Michelle just touched her partner's arm before they continued walking.

Business continued for the booth. It was rather popular with the smaller children. Goldfish were nice pets for the youngsters and with Amy and Lita being helpful to the children that were still pretty small, they became a quick favorite. Yagami was beginning to wonder if they were going to run out of supplies before some more familiar faces came out of the crowds.

"Hi, Kira!" Megumi waved as she and her boyfriend Kenji came dashing towards the booth.

"Hey, Meguni, Kenji," Yagami smiled. "How have you two been? Keeping out of trouble I hope."

"Yeah," Kenji shrugged. "No more monster attacks anyway."

"That's good," Yagami nodded before he spied Kamemaru and Chad walking up behind the young couple. "Kamemaru, what are you and Chad doing here?"

"Well, I find that I'm chaperoning again," Kamemaru shrugged. "I spied our mutual friend on the way so I decided to have a few words with him."

Yagami noticed Chad's 'slightly' nervous appearance. No doubt that Kamemaru was telling him all the responsibilities he would have as a Rider. He was probably putting it on pretty thick if Chad seemed this stressed about it. The guy looked nervous enough to start passing out from the stress or something.

"Ahh, I see," Yagami nodded. "Hey, Chad, feel like helping out? Raye would appreciate it."

"Heck yeah!" Chad nodded, practically dashing to Yagami's side of the booth. Kamemaru just started snickering at the sight. He just couldn't be sure if it was because he was hoping to get closer to Raye or if he was scared of Kamemaru.

"Come on, Kamemaru!" Megumi called, grabbing her chaperone's hand. "They're selling Kamen Rider masks and I want to see if thy have any Zabee ones left!"

"They'd better have a Hakabuto mask left!" Kenji agreed.

Kamemaru was then dragged off down the middle of the booths. Yagami just chuckled while the girls giggled slightly.

"The Kamen Riders are getting pretty popular," Amy smiled.

"Almost as popular as the Sailor Scouts," Mina smirked.

"I dunno," Yagami grinned. "They have enough female fans to match the male ones the Sailor Scouts have."

Chad just snickered as he started helping move boxes, "You should have seen all the kids wearing masks around here. The booth selling them is swamped. It seems the beetles are the most popular ones. Here I was hoping it was Drake."

The girls all smiled at the proclamation. Even if they now knew that Chad wasn't the first Drake, they still thought he was very brave and responsible for taking up the mantle now. What mattered was that he was Drake at this moment in time, even if he was only holding it temporarily.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haruka's mood was sour, but at least Michelle was around to fix things. It was because the sight of kids wearing Kamen Rider masks made Haruka feel like she wanted to lose her lunch. Her dislike of the Riders was starting to act up.

"Haruka…" Michelle spoke calmly to her loved one. "Relax and just enjoy the night, okay?"

"I'll try," Haruka grumbled. She saw a pair of kids holding Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper masks and growled. Michelle rolled her eyes.

"Haruka, let's forget about the Kamen Riders and our mission for tonight, okay?" Michelle pleaded.

"But…" Haruka resisted but then sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. There's no reason I should get all worked up about the Kamen Riders' popularity."

"That's good. Now, you're going to buy me a candied apple," Michelle said to Haruka.

"Are you sure?" Haruka asked.

"Get me a candied apple…" Michelle insisted, her eyes narrowed in a scary way. Haruka gulped.

Meanwhile, Eudial was on the prowl for their next target in hopes of getting one of the talismans. Also, she was not going to make the same mistake as her predecessor, Kaolinite. This time, she came prepared. Also, the Professor had asked her to collect any new data on the Kamen Riders' technology so that they could find a way to counter it. It was challenge that Eudial decided to take on. It was just so much fun that way.

She walked past both Hikaru and Michelle, neither party batting an eye.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DARIEN! You came!" Serena squealed as her boyfriend arrived at their booth.

"Hey, Serena," Darien said, smiling down at the girl who was hugging him. "You look great in that yukata."

"Oh, thank you!" Serena beamed.

The remaining girls all smiled at the sight while the two guys just watched. Chad was dreaming what it would be like with him and Raye while Yagami knew exactly how Darien felt to have an affectionate girl in his arms. It was quite the experience.

"Uh…Kira?" Chad asked. "Now that I think of it, where is Raye anyway?"

"Hmmm. I'm not really sure," Yagami replied after a moment of thought. He turned to where the girls were working to ask them the same question. "Hey, do any of you know where Raye is? We haven't seen her all night."

"Hmmm," Lita pondered. "I don't know. Have any of us seen her since we got here?"

"Not since she pointed us to this booth," Amy answered. "Maybe she's where the acts prepare."

"Well we just can't go," Mina huffed. "We have too stay here and watch the booth."

"I can go!" Serena volunteered quickly. "I'm tired of beating this dinky drum anyway."

Handing the object in question over to Darien, Serena scampered off into the crowd. No one really had any kind of protest that they could make, mostly due to the fact that she was gone like a shot and blending into the crowd quite easily. It was quite the feat since her hair made her stick out like a sore thumb. How many other people had blonde hair in buns and pigtails?

Serena ended up wading through crowds until she managed to catch a glimpse of long black hair hinted with purple that was associated with Raye. Immediately recognizing her friend, Serena quickly gave chase after her. The little chase continued until Serena spied Raye leaning around a corner of a nearby building that was near where the festival was keeping some of its building equipment. Serena snuck quietly up behind her friend before she took a deep breath

"RAYE!" Serena cried, causing the raven-haired miko to cry out from shock.

"Waaagh!" Raye cried before turning around to see her friend. "Serena!"

"How much longer are we going to have to watch the booth?" Serena asked with a frown. "Darien is here and I want to spend at least a little time alone with him. I'm sure Lita and Kira would like to have some alone time as well!"

"Shhh!" Raye hissed. "Can you tone it down a little?"

"Huh?" Serena blinked. "Why?"

Raye pointed around the corner and Serena moved to take a look. Inside a smaller building was the girl Maya, she was pounding away at a large drum. She was obviously preparing for the show that she was going to play.

"She's been practicing for the last three hours," Raye explained.

"Really?!" Serena gasped. "Wow!" She was impressed. Maya sure knew how to show dedication.

"Yeah," Raye nodded. "I told her she didn't have to but she said that she had to if she wanted to keep her feelings high. When I saw her playing I just knew that the festival would be a success with her. I can't help but feel a little unfair though. She's working so hard behind the scenes. I have to work just as hard to make this festival one to remember."

Serena smiled at Raye's determination. It was one of the things that made Raye who she was. She never gave up at anything no matter how hard it was. Serena couldn't help but be inspired whenever she could feel Raye's fiery determination.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eudial sighed as she walked back to her car. She had searched all over the fair grounds and hadn't seen her target anywhere.

"How come I haven't found her yet?" she grumbled. "I mean, how hard could it be?"

While walking around the fair, she had seen various children wearing masks based on the Kamen Riders. She grimaces with disgust since the Riders…these so-called heroes, were getting in the way of the Deathbusters' plans. As if the Sailor Scouts weren't enough trouble anyway.

However, once she'd heard about the Riders' abilities to transform as well as move at a speed that could not be seen by the naked eye, she had become intrigued to find out how their technology worked. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen and she wanted to know how it worked. The insect-like pieces known as Zectors appeared to be quite sentient in appearance if the footage had anything to indicate and if she could steal one for herself…she may learn of how the Riders' armor function.

Oh course, right now, she'd failed to find the target. What was she supposed to do, wait for a signal or something?

The loud beating of drums soon caught her attention. She was about to ignore it when she remembered something about her target involving drums. If that wasn't any kind of a beacon then she wasn't a genius!

With a sinister giggle, Eudial went running over to her car and strapped herself in before starting it up. She had to get there fast before her target got away. She even had the perfect plan to make sure that her target was actually there. Oooh, she was such a genius even when she wasn't trying! After getting her vehicle into drive, she gunned the engine and took off like a shot. She also seemed to become blind to anyone else who was in her way.

Kamemaru was busy following Kenji and Megumi as they went from stall to stall. Both had gotten Kamen Rider masks of their favorite Riders and were happily munching on some cotton candy. Both kids were rather satisfied with what they had and were keeping an eye out for something else to do. Kamemaru was content to keep them out of trouble, but suddenly, his danger sense started flaring up. It was something he acquired after fighting Worms for a while. Their mimic ability kept everyone on their toes.

Turning slightly, his eyes widened when he saw a white mini-van barreling towards them with no intention of stopping for anyone.

"Look out!" he cried as he swept up Kenji and Megumi into his arms and leaped out of the car's path.

As the car raced past, Kamemaru caught glimpse of a few things that he did not like. The black star that he now affiliated with the Deathbusters was proudly displayed on the side of the vehicle. There was also the driver to consider. Her hair was a bright red and even if there were many physical differences, she still reminded Kamemaru of the Riders' and Scouts' former enemy Kaolinite. There was too much evidence to ignore. The Deathbusters were in action again.

"Megumi, Kenji," Kamemaru spoke seriously as he put the two kids on their feet. "You two head back to the festival and go to that spot we agreed to meet at if we were separated."

"What's wrong, Kamemaru?" asked Megumi worriedly.

"Is it Rider stuff?" Kenji asked excitedly.

"What have I told you about saying that out loud?" Kamemaru frowned. "To answer your question though, yes it is."

Not bothering to see their reaction, Kamemaru started running in the direction of the mini-van. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He quickly dialed in a number before bringing it to his ear.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yagami was finally taking a break, having gotten all the supplies in the booth at long last. Chad was sitting beside him likewise taking a breather. The girls were as busy as ever. The kids were still coming for goldfish and were having a scream at it.

"They're good with kids," Chad observed.

"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "How they do it I'll never know."

Further conversation was halted when Yagami's cell phone started to vibrate. Pulling it out, he accepted the call before bringing it to his ear.

"Kira speaking," he answered.

"_It's me, Kamemaru,_" the older Rider answered. "_I think we have a situation coming up._"

Yagami stiffened. He didn't like the sound of that, "What kind of situation?"

"_Deathbuster level,_" Kamemaru answered. "_Kaolinite has been replaced. I need you and Chad to meet me where the acts are set up. It looks like whoever this new lady is, she's heading there._"

"On it," Yagami answered before hanging up. He looked over to Chad. "Come on. Kamemaru wants us for something."

"What?" Chad asked, sensing the urgency in his voice.

"Deathbuster stuff," he replied in a whisper. He didn't want the girls to hear. "You know, Kamen Rider stuff?"

"Why didn't you just say so?" Chad frowned. "Come on! Raye might be in trouble!"

Yagami had to admit to himself, Chad definitely had enough motivation to be a Rider. Maybe Daisuke hadn't been as whacked as he thought he was when the Drake Zector had found its way into Chad's hands. After making an excuse of having to go to the bathroom, Chad and Yagami were off and running to where Kamemaru had told them to go. If the Deathbusers really were up to their old tricks again then someone would have to shut them down yet again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serena and Raye were still watching Maya beat n her drum, preparing to go out. When it seemed that she was going at her highest peak of emotion, a white mini-van came crashing through the foliage and into the clearing. Both Raye and Serena blinked in confusion at seeing the sudden appearance. It was very out of the ordinary of all things

Eudial put smirked as she came to a stop. Glancing around, she didn't see anyone there. Frowning, she reached to the back seat of her vehicle and pulled out a bullhorn. Pointing the speaker section out of her window, she brought the microphone part to her mouth and began to speak.

"Would Maya Touno please come outside immediately?" she spoke, echoing through the clearing. "I repeat, would Maya Touno please come outside immediately?"

Maya stopped her practice for a moment as she exited the smaller building. As she stepped into the cool night air, she looked around to see where the announcement calling for her had come from. Eudial instantly caught sight of the young woman and smirked. She was just like her profile said she was. There was no mistaking it. Acting quickly, Eudial reached into the back of her car again before hoisting out a large gun with a star shaped hole in the barrel and pointed it right at Maya. Where the bullet chamber was supposed to be was a large cylinder filled with the same red liquid that Daimon seeds were kept in.

"Hold still!" Eudial smirked before she pulled the trigger.

The red liquid was pushed into the barrel and instantly a large blast of black energy came flying from the weapon. Maya didn't have time to move before it struck her directly in the chest. She screamed in pain before her heart crystal appeared behind her, floating on air. She collapsed right after.

"Maya!!" Raye cried in shock.

Serena gasped in surprise as well. It didn't last too long before both girls brought out their means of transforming.

"_Moon Cosmic Power!_"

"_Mars Star Power!_"

Eudial, smirked as she quickly exited her car and threw the gun back inside, "Oh, looks like I'll be able to do something Kaolinite couldn't, actually claim a heart crystal."

"Wait!" a new voice shouted, causing Eudial to turn around.

There, out in plain sight with the moon perched in the sky above them were Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.

"To steal the pure hear of a traditional drum player makes you an enemy of all traditional arts!" Sailor Moon cried. "For love and justice, I Sailor Moon will punish you in the name of the Moon!"

"For love and fire, I Sailor Mars shall bring you to justice!" Salior Mars added with conviction.

"Hmm," Eudial frowned as she saw her opponents. "Not quite the Kamen Riders but I suppose I can't have everything," Eudial instantly threw off her lab coat to reveal her clothing underneath. She was wearing a red tank top which had a red heart crystal shape above it. Her skirt was black with red highlights and her glasses were gone. "My name is Eudial. I am one of the Witches 5. I'm the one who is going to pick up the slack where Kaolinite left off."

As the two sides were making their introductions, three certain individuals were hiding out in the shadows of the trees.

"Shouldn't we be helping them?" Chad asked in concern.

"I'm not sure if we have to," Yagami replied.

"He's right," Kamemaru agreed. "The Sailor Scouts have been fighting monsters here longer then we have. They know what they are doing. We only really come out if we are there first, or if they need help."

"I guess," Chad frowned slightly. He would rather be helping, but he had to admit that the Scouts were pretty experienced in dealing with monsters and things like them. He, on the other hand, either had gotten his butt kicked by them (like that one at the temple) or missed the event entirely up until the point where he had gotten the Drake Zector. He was in no real place to ask questions about their abilities.

"So who's the lady in red?" he asked curiously.

"You know just about as much as we do," Yagami replied. "This my first time seeing her."

"Me too," Kamemaru nodded. "Now shut up and pay attention. We might be needed."

Back with Eudial and the two Scouts in front of her, the conversation was continuing.

"Look," Eudial frowned. "I really don't want to waste my time with you so I'll let you play with a little friend that I brought along." With that, Euidal brought out a remote control and pressed it. The trunk of the mini-van suddenly popped right open with a cloud of pink smoke erupting from it. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars could only see the faint image of someone inside before the smoke cleared to reveal a new Daimon.

"Yah hah!" it crowed as it turned to face its opponents.

This Daimon, like all the others, was female. Its skin was blue but that was where the similarities ended. It was garbed in clothes similar to what a taiko player would have. It was loosely done but its breasts were tied tightly with bandages. It held two spiked clubs and a Taiko drum was hanging from its shoulders, ready to be played in front of it. There was also a big cylinder tied to its back. It's hair was spiked straight up and a mask was hanging on the side of it's head.

"Hmm," Kamemaru pondered from his hidden position. "They've changed tactics."

"Huh?" Chad blinked.

"Care to clear that up?" asked Yagami.

"While Kaolinite was in charge of getting heart crystals, she would infuse the Daimon seeds into objects that the target was sure to touch, thus releasing the Daimon," He explained. "Eudial seems to prefer pre-packaging her Daimon and taking them right to the target. Much more effective, really."

"Admire it later," Yagami sighed.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars both faced off against the new Daimon. It snickered as it eyed them both like a predator would prey. Mars was about to make the first move when she started hearing the sound of something sizzling. Both Scouts looked down to see some kind of fuse burning and it was leading right to the cylinder on the Daimon's back.

"What is that?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Let's light up the sky!" the Daimon crowed.

Both Mars and Moon were confused to see the Daimon dance right over to them as if nothing was wrong. It wasn't even making any kind of move to attack. It just stood between the two scouts and continued to dance and beat on its drum. Suddenly, Mars remembered the fuse and saw it finish burning up into the cylinder.

"Yah hah!" the Daimon cheered again before the top of the cylinder blew straight off, revealing it to be a giant firecracker. Sparks fired into the air and came back down like fire. Mars and Moon suddenly found themselves dancing alongside the Daimon as it continued to laugh and shoot more sparks.

Eudial smirked and turned to get the heart crystal, but was soon stopped by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Both of them were next to Maya, holding her heart crystal.

"This isn't a talisman either," Neptune told her partner.

"Another dead end," Uranus frowned.

"What?" Eudial groaned. "You mean I came all this way for nothing? Just great!"

Eudial didn't even seem to pay attention to the battle or the heart crystal anymore. She dashed to her mini-van before putting it into reverse. She then hit the gas pedal and tore out of the clearing as if she was on fire. She only left a dust trail behind.

"Well," Sailor Uranus sighed, standing up. "Let's go."

"Aren't you going to help them?" asked Sailor Neptune, regarding Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon who were still under attack from the large firecracker on the Daimon's back.

"If I go and rescue them all the time then it'll be too much of a hassle," Uranus shrugged before adding a sour note to the end. "Let the Kamen Riders handle it."

'_Haruka,_' Neptune sighed inwardly before she followed her partner away from the fight.

The firecracker on the Daimon finally ran out as it leaped away from the two panting Scouts before it turned to face them with two large drums in its hands. Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon both wondered what it was planning to do next before it just laughed again and hurled the drums at them. The speed of the two objects was so quick, neither girl could react in time for it. Especially after getting tired from dodging those sparks. The large drums hit both girls head on, trapping their arms around their waists.

"Hey!" Sailor Moon cried. "What is this?!"

"My new instruments!" the Daimon crowed. "I'm going to beat on my sailor drums for a while!"

"Uh...," Sailor Moon quivered. "Could you beat on Mars first? That sounds like it hurts."

"WHAT?!" Sailor Mars shrieked at her friend.

Inside their hiding space, the boys knew that Mars and Moon needed their help. Chad brought out his grip while Kamemaru and Yagami had rolled up their sleeves to reveal their own means of transforming. All three of them were about to summon their Zectors when something caught the attention of everyone.

"Wait!" a child's voice shouted loudly.

"Argh!" the Daimon growled, angry at being interrupted. "Who is it?!"

"That voice!" Sailor Moon gasped. She recognized it.

"I thought so! You just can't do anything without me!" the voice spoke up. Everyone looked to the other end of the clearing to see a small child wearing a pink and white outfit that was similar to what the Sailor Scouts wore. She had long pink hair tied up in twin ponytails and some of it was styled like bunny ears on her head. She was in a classic Sailor Scout pose to boot. "I am the new age warrior of love and justice! Sailor Scout (in training) Sailor Mini-Moon! In the name of the future moon, I will punish you!"

"You have got to be kidding," Yagami blinked while Chad and Kamemaru sweatdropped.

The Daimon seemed unimpressed as it stepped forward to combat Mini-Moon. The small girl drew out a pink want with a red crystal heart in it as she pointed it straight at her opponent.

"_Pink Sugar Heart Attack!_" Mini-Moon cried as her wand sprang to life.

Everyone was expecting some kind of attack to come, but instead, the heart on Mini-Moon's wand blinked a few times before falling silent. The Daimon sweatdropped before it swung one of its clubs and knocked the tiny Scout to the ground.

"Ouch," Mini-Moon whined as she looked up. The Daimon was preparing to strike her head. Mini-Moon gripped her wand and was prepared to try again before something else decided to get the Daimon's attention.

"STANDBY!" was all that was heard before three metal bugs started swarming the Daimon's head, causing it to thrash wildly, trying to get them away. Mini-Moon could see that they were a bee, a dragonfly, and a beetle of some kind. Taking this opportunity, she got up and backed away from the Daimon.

The bugs stopped attacking the Daimon when Mini-Moon was gone and flew in a new direction. All eyes followed them as the bee and beetle were caught by two boys and the dragonfly was hovering by a third.

"Sorry we're late," the boy with the beetle spoke up. "It seemed like you were fine until a second ago."

"Let's just bust this Daimon," the man with the bee remarked.

"Gladly!" the boy with the dragonfly nodded.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars easily recognized the three. They knew Chad and Yagami on sight but seeing Kamemaru with the bee was a surprise. They were already drawing conclusions on who he really was. Sailor Mars was feeling a little flustered at the moment. Seeing Chad look so serious about something made her see him in a new light.

"Henshin!" the three men cried, their Zectors becoming attached to their receivers.

"HENSHIN!" the Zectors echoed before the Rider armor began to cover them.

Mini-Moon's eyes widened as the Kamen Riders took the stage. Sparkles could be seen from her eyes as she took in the vies of the three warriors. She thought she was dreaming if she was actually seeing Kamen Riders right in front of her.

"Drake...Hakabuto...Zabee," she mumbled in amazement.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon blinked when she heard Mini-Moon's voice. "How did you know their..."

"Hakabuto!" Zabee started speaking. "You tend to Mini-Moon. Drake, you free the other Scouts. I'll handle the Daimon until we can all get at it."

"On it!"

"You bet!"

All three Riders reached to their Zectors and either flipped it, pulled a horn, or pulled a handle. Energy ripped through their bodies as their bulky armor came loose. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars prepared for the coming explosion. Mini-Moon somehow knew about it as well since she put some distance between herself and the Riders.

"Cast off!" the three Riders commanded.

"CAST OFF!" the Zectors called before the armor came flying off in all directions.

"CHANGE DRAGONFLY!"

"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

"CHANGE WASP!"

The three Riders immediately sprang into action. Drake raced over to Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars to check on them.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Just stuck!" Sailor Moon whined as she tried to get loose again.

"Alright," Drake nodded. "Let's get these suckers off. I want a piece of that thing for hurting you two and that kid!"

"You aren't the only one!" Sailor Mars nodded.

Hakabuto was already over with Mini-Moon. He checked her over slightly to make sure she wasn't seriously hurt. He was a little unnerved to see that she was looking at him with stars in her eyes.

"Looks like you're okay," Hakabuto sighed in relief. "Are you sure you're a Sailor Scout?"

"In training," Mini-Moon mumbled shyly.

"Well," Hakabuto laughed. "The why don't we give you a Kamen Rider crash course?"

"Okay!" Mini-Moon nodded excitedly.

Over with Zabee...

"Raaaah!" the Daimon roared, taking a swing at the yellow and black clad warrior.

Zabee dived to the side to avoid the strike. He immediately got to his feet and punched the Daimon in the side to knock it back. He followed up with a three punch combo that hit the stomach, chest, and face. The Daimon further stumbled back, seeing stars. Zabee aimed to deal some more damage before it recovered even faster than he expected and slammed his chest with its clubs, sending sparks raining from the chest armor, and knocking him backwards. Zabee let a small grunt of pain. Getting hit directly by a Daimon rather than a glancing blow was definitely more painful.

Zabee was about to start his own counterattack when he heard something that would do the job for him,

"_Mars Fireball Ignite!_"

Turning his head slightly, Zabee saw an incoming fireball coming at him from behind. Acting quickly, he reached to his belt and passed a hand over the buckle, "Clock Up!"

"CLOCK UP!"

The world went still for Zabee as he gazed at the fireball that was coming at him. Turning back to the Daimon, he saw that it was in the middle of a strike aimed at him. Deciding to make sure that it would stay still to take the hit, Zabee grabbed the Daimon by the shoulders and planted it in front of the miniature blaze. The yellow Rider then relocated himself behind the fireball before reaching to his buckle again.

"CLOCK OVER!"

The world resumed its normal pace and the Daimon was hit hard with the fire attack. It screamed as the heat seared against it before going out. The Daimon struggled to look up and it saw something that made its blood run cold.

Standing defiantly in front of it was the two older Scouts. Beside Mars was Drake, hoisting his gun ready to shoot at a moments notice. Zabee had his arms crossed next to Sailor Moon. Beside Drake was Hakabuto with Mini-Moon on his shoulders.

"I think this one is yours, Sailor Moon," Zabee spoke up with a smirk in his voice.

Sailor Moon smiled as she summoned her Moon Heart Rod. Taking a step forward, she began her attack.

"_Moon Heart Spiral Attack!_" Sailor Moon called as she attacked.

The attack shot forward and collided with the Daimon.

"GAH! LOVELY!" the Daimon bellowed before it vanished only to be replaced by a taiko drum. The familiar image of a Daimon seed falling out before shattering to release the black ghost that followed immediately after.

"Cool!" Hakabuto laughed before walking over and picking it up. "We get trophies now!"

"Something to commemorate our victory," Zabee chuckled. "Not bad."

"Wow!" Mini-Moon cheered. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting Kamen Riders! My friends back home are going to be sooo jealous!"

"Looks like we have fans even with the Sailor Scouts," Drake laughed.

-----------------------------------------------------

Maya was woken without trouble. The Riders had already gone and all three Scouts had changed back. Maya didn't seem to suffer any discomfort and she decided that she still wanted to play. With that decision made, she got her game face on and went out to play for the crowds. Everyone was watching and the girls were no exception to the rule. The group of friends watched with rapt attention while Rini was perched on Serena's shoulders. Lita was cuddled against Yagami while Darien stayed by Serena's side.

"Hey, Rini," Serena asked. "How did you know the names of the Kamen Riders anyway?"

"Oh, they're famous back home," Rini smiled. "Everyone knows about them."

"What?!" Serena and Darien gasped.

"Sure," Rini continued. "People from all over talk about them. The way they can move so fast and those finisher moves are sooo cool!"

"The Riders are in the future?" asked Darien.

"I just told you that!" Rini laughed. "There are so many stories about them! They've beaten so many monsters and bad guys. They're pretty much legends like the Sailor Scouts and Mom! All my friends hope to meet one and get married! How many are there here anyway?"

"Ummm," Serena pondered. "Let's see. Hakabuto, Gatack, Kabuto, Zabee, Drake, Kick Hopper, Punch Hopper, and Sawsord. I think that's eight."

"Eight?" Rini blinked. "That can't be right. Back home there's nine."

Darien and Serena blinked in surprise. There were nine Kamen Riders?

------------------------------------------

Driving down the roads at reckless speeds towards her hideout, Eudial sat at the driveer's wheel. The mission had been a failure. The heart of that girl didn't have a talisman in it and the Daimon she had was destroyed. On that front, the mission was a failure. However...

Eudial looked down at a camcorder on the passenger's seat. When she had left the battle, she didn't exactly leave the area altogether. What she did was just get far enough away before she began recording the entire fight. While she didn't get the actual faces of the men underneath the armor, she did see them in action. Zabee seemed to have an extensive fighting knowledge at his disposal. Hakabuto and Drake hadn't done much but tend to the other Sailor Scouts. On a lighter note, Eudial did manage to catch their Cast Off and Clock Up abilities. All she had to do was analyze the video now to see if she could do anything with it.

Oh yes, tonight had been a good night.

To Be Continued...

A/N: There you go for the newest chapter. Here's a little of suspence for veryone who's reading the story. A little mystery added to the air. Hope you like it. My thanks to ZK Chromedragozoid for giving me ideas and inspiration when I needed it. That added with reading this for spelling errors and stuff.


	17. Rini's Training! The Quest For Friends

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. They belong to their respective creators and not me. No amount of arguing is going to change that or else I would have done it a long time ago. A guy can dream I suppose. Sigh.

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 16: Rini's Training! The Quest for Friends

It was yet another day at the Hikawa Shrine. People would come and go, asking for blessings or looking for charms. Another almost daily event would be the gathering of the Sailor Scouts, moon cats, and the one Kamen Rider that had become such good friends with them. Today was slightly different though. Today saw the addition of another Sailor Scout to the gathering. This same Sailor Scout was also getting a proper introduction to the only male among the Soldiers of Love and Justice.

"Okay, let me get this straight," Yagami sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Rini, you are from the future and are actually the daughter of Serena and Darien."

Yagami was used to weird things. Heck, it was something of a requirement if you wanted to be in the Kamen Rider line of business. Girls in weird outfits who fought monsters all the time? Perfectly acceptable to him. Talking cats? More cute than anything. Monsters that were created from black seeds and normal objects? He saw it as a creative way of making soldiers. People who stole pure hearts? He considered that evil and must be stopped. Now he had to deal with a little girl from the future who was the offspring of the only other couple of the group. That would take a little getting used to.

"Yup!" Rini smiled brightly with sparkles in her eyes. She was awestruck at meeting a real Kamen Rider. She couldn't help but feel jealous of Lita for being able to date one of the armored heroes.

"Okay," Yagami nodded. "I can accept that. Fits right in with all the other stuff I'd seen around here. I've only got two questions."

"Okay," Rini nodded.

"There isn't anyone going to show up saying that they're my kid or something, are they?" he asked. The girls around him broke out giggling. Lita couldn't help but wonder what she would do if that actually happened.

"No!" Rini laughed. She liked the gold Rider. He was funny.

"Okay," Yagami nodded. "Now, I don't mean to be rude with this next question but, are you sure Darien is your father?"

"Oh don't worry," Rini smiled as she waved off the question. "I've been asked that before. Darien is my daddy. I'm sure of it."

"Hey," Serena asked with a frown. "Why did you ask that anyway?"

"Well," Yagami shrugged. "I can tell just by looking at her that Rini is your daughter. I just can't see any resemblance between her and Darien. Maybe it's because she's a girl."

"I've wondered about that too," Raye agreed. "Maybe she looks like someone who is in Darien's family."

"Who knows?" Mina shrugged. "But we have something important to look at. Rini! You said the Kamen Riders are in the future! Well? Tell us about them!"

"Ulp!" Rini gulped as she stepped back. Mina was scary when she would go into her 'boy hunting' mode. Resigning herself to having to explain, Rini started talking about her heroes.

"The Kamen Riders are some pretty serious heroes back home," she explained. "They helped when the Black Moon Family tried to take over Crystal Tokyo for themselves. They were part of the reason that the bad guys couldn't get to Mom before they did. They're pretty powerful. People call them the God Speed Warriors of Peace and Justice."

"That's a new name for me," Yagami grinned. "I think I like it."

"Well don't get a swelled head over it," Lita smiled while wrapping her arms around his right one.

"God speed?" Serena asked. "Why are they called that?"

"You meatball head," Raye sighed. "She means the Clock Up system. I'd call going fast enough to be invisible god speed."

"Yeah!" Rini nodded. "Everything stands still when they go that fast! Mom and the other Scouts have never figured out how to go that fast! The Black Moon Family sure tried after a bunch of their Droids was blown up in the blink of an eye."

"Glad to hear they couldn't," Raye nodded. "If they did then we would never have beaten them."

"Okay," Minako nodded. "Tell us more!"

"Okay," Rini nodded. "Hmm. Well, each Rider has all these nicknames that people like to call them. But the most powerful have got to be the Big Three."

"The Big Three?" asked Yagami. "Who are they?"

Rini giggled at the question. It was a little funny for him of all people to ask that question, "Silly! You're one of them! The Big Three are Hakabuto, Gatack, and Kabuto. They're called the strongest because they can go beyond God Speed and even go back in time if they want to!"

"Wow!" Serena gasped, turning to the boy in question. "That's amazing, Kira!"

"You already knew that, Serena," Yagami grinned. "I used that Hyper System to save you at Tokyo Tower, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Serena sweatdropped. "But it was still pretty amazing."

"I'll agree to that," Lita nodded. "You looked pretty good in that Hyper Hakabuto armor too, Kira-kun."

Yagami just laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. A blush was on his face after getting such praise from his girlfriend. She could always do that to him no matter how used to it he was. He just remained quiet while he listened to Rini gush about the other Riders.

"Ooh!" Rini sighed dreamily. "But the strongest of them all has got to be Kabuto! With that legendary sword of his he can wipe out whole hordes of Droids all by himself!"

"Legendary sword?" the older girls all asked at the same time. Yagami already knew what the little girl was talking about. She was talking about the Perfect Zector. It had definitely helped make Kabuto as strong as he was. The only thing was that he didn't need it to be strongest. It just let him use all his power.

"Yup!" Rini nodded excitedly. "That sword gives him the power of four Riders and lets him let loose a whole typhoon of power that no one can stand against!"

"Wow!" Mina gasped. "And to think that we're friends with him!"

"Uh...Tendou's not all that big on friends," Yagami sweatdropped. No one seemed to hear him.

"Oh Lita, you're so lucky!" Rini sighed. "You're not only dating a Kamen Rider but one of the Big Three!"

Lita blushed uncontrollably while Yagami considered the information he received. Did this mean that the Riders would never get home? It really looked like it. He should have told Tendou and the other Riders, but the information they had was pretty unclear. As far as he knew, the Riders would help the Scouts in their time of need. Yagami knew that he would too. If Lita needed him at any time then he would be there faster than even Clock Up could go.

"Say, Rini," Amy spoke up. "Serena said that you told her that there are nine Riders. Who is the ninth one?"

"Um," Rini frowned slightly. "Well, if you haven't met him then I don't think I should tell. All that stuff about telling too much about the future and stuff."

"Darn," Mina sighed before brightening up. "Hey! Kira might know! He's a Kamen Rider too!"

"Yeah!" Serena agreed before turning to Yagami. "How about it, Kira? Have you been holding out on us about this new Rider?"

"Don't look at me," Yagami instantly spoke up while waving his hands in a defensive gesture. "I only know the eight Riders that I'm included in. Whoever this ninth Rider is, he's a new guy."

Both Mina and Serena sighed sadly at the revelation. Raye just shrugged while Lita remained content to lean on her boyfriend. Amy seemed to ponder on a thought before she turned to look at Rini again, "So, Rini, why did you come back to the past anyway?"

"Oh," Rini smiled. "I came back here to train with you all. Mom didn't tell me that there were Kamen Riders though. Now I can get more training!"

"Who decided for you to come back anyway?" Serena asked with a frown, her excitement over hearing about the Riders in the future worn off. Now her memories concerning Rini's last stay were coming back like a raging flood.

Rini didn't really reply to the question as she reached into her pocket. After rummaging for a moment, she brought out an envelope that was most likely a letter meant for the Sailor Scouts. Serena huffed slightly and held out her hand to accept the letter, but Rini just went right past her and handed it to Mina.

"Here you go," Rini spoke as she placed it in Mina's hands.

"Hey!" Serena cried. "Why did you give it to Mina and not me?!"

Serena's outburst went ignored as Mina opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside, "It seems like you're going to train Rini. I don't know how to thank you, but please take care of my daughter."

Everyone was silent for a moment, waiting for Mina to read more to the letter. After a moment, Mina still hadn't read any more. The spectators all stepped closer so they could read over Mina's shoulder. What they found were the words that Mina had read and the rest of the letter was blank.

"That's all?" Raye asked incredulously.

"Well, Neo Queen Serenity is Serena after all," Luna commented with a sweatdrop.

"Huh? What does that mean?" asked Serena.

"I see what you mean," Mina nodded, ignoring Serena's cries again. "There's not one kanji in this entire letter. It's all hiragana and katakana."

"The handwriting's pretty bad too," Yagami added.

"It's true," Lita agreed.

"There's a spot here where she tried to write in kanji but erased it," Amy pointed out.

"Hey!" Serena cried with her eyes on the brink of tears. "Why are you guys being so mean?"

The other Scouts and lone Kamen Rider all began to ponder just what kind of training that Rini would have to do. None of the girls really had any experience in training someone in what they do and Yagami was a Kamen Rider. He wasn't exactly qualified to train a new Sailor Scout. Everyone was more or less at a loss at what to do.

"So...any ideas?" asked Mina.

"You got me," Raye shrugged. "I can only hope that Rini doesn't catch Serena's clumsiness."

"Mmhmm," Rini nodded. "Mars in the future said the same thing."

That immediately caught Serena's attention. Her face turned from teary to angry before she started going for Raye. "Raye! How can you say such mean things about me?!"

"It's the truth, isn't it, meatball head?" Raye shouted back.

"I'm not that clumsy!" Serena shot back.

"Yeah right!" Raye snorted. "You trip on the temple stairs all the time! You even manage to slip on banana peels just like in cartoons!"

"Hey! Those things are slippery!" Serena fired back.

The remaining Scouts and one Kamen Rider only watched with sweatdrops as yet another classic argument between Serena and Raye started up. As they were watching, Rini heaved a sigh before turning around and heading for the stairs. The argument was drawing everyone's attention so no one was really paying attention to the fact that Rini was gone. After Rini had gone down the temple steps and the argument was still in full swing, Mina turned her attention back to the letter.

"Oh, hey guys," she spoke. "There's another letter in here."

She reached inside the envelope and pulled out the second letter. Everyone paid attention while Mina began to read, "To Serena of the past, studying is important. Please study."

Serena's argument with Raye stopped as she heard the words from her future self, "Awww! But I don't wanna study!"

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Rini continued on her way until she got to the park. She figured that it was as good as any place to begin her training. When she saw all the people around, she started to recall the words her mother had said to her before she left.

---------------------------------------------**Flashback**-------------------------------------------------

_Neo Queen Serenity and her daughter Rini stood on one of the castle's balconies and watched the night sky over Crystal Tokyo. There was silence for a moment before the queen turned to speak to her daughter._

_"Small Lady," Neo Queen Serenity spoke. "If you truly wish to continue your training, then you will have to travel to the past."_

_"Huh?" Rini blinked. "What do you mean? What kind of training will I do there?"_

_"You will learn something very important there," Neo Queen Serenity spoke. "You will learn how to make friends."_

------------------------------------------**End Flashback**----------------------------------------------

Rini frowned slightly as she looked at all the people. Sure, making friends was an easy enough thing to say, but she really didn't know how to start. She didn't have that much experience in that sort of thing since she was often alone a lot back home.

"But where are the kids my age?" she asked herself with a slightly insecure frown.

Rini made her way through the crowds and tried to at least find someone that she could talk to. She looked around and managed to spy a boy who looked rather good to her. He was dragging a doll with him and his mother seemed to be scolding him over something. She could have sworn she heard something about dropping pants, but she was too far to hear correctly. Nevertheless, Rini knew she really didn't want to be associated with someone who dropped their pants in front of other people. That was just too weird. Sighing slightly, she turned to look elsewhere but ended up running into someone else.

"Oh! I'm so sorry...," Rini gasped as she looked up to see who she had run into. It was then that she was sure she had fallen in love.

The man in front of her was completely dashing with the stylish clothes he was wearing. He had a pair of black jeans on with a button up red shirt on. He had his hands in his pockets and he just looked rather relaxed. His face was definitely handsome and his hair looked a little messy, but it still looked good on him.

"No harm done," the man replied with a friendly smile. "Don't worry about it."

"Um..." Rini blushed. "My name's Rini."

"Hm," The man nodded. He then looked towards the sun and pointed dramatically at it. "I am the man who walks the path of heaven and will one day rule over everything. Souji Tendou!"

'_Oh wow,_' Rini gasped inwardly. '_He's so cool._'

"So, where are you off to?" Tendou asked Rini.

Rini shuffled her feet and folded her hands behind her back shyly, "Well…I was going to try and make some new friends. I'm kinda new in town."

"Oh, really?" Tendou asked.

"But I don't know where to start," Rini confessed shyly. Tendou kneeled down so that he was at eye level with Rini and smiled before ruffling her hair.

"Listen Rini, making friends is actually quite easy. The hard part is keeping them. Make sure you get to know a person first before deciding if they should or shouldn't be your friend." He then quoted, "Grandmother said this; companions are everyone. One only needs to look." He then got up and said to Rini, "Good luck," before walking away.

'_Wow_…' Rini thought, her face flushed. '_So cool_…'

Taking a breath to try and calm herself down, Rini turned her attention to the rest of the people who were milling around the park. She tried to understand Tendou's advice. There were companions everywhere so she only had to keep an eye out for them. As she was looking, she spied a boy who looked about the same age as her. She had to admit that he was kind of handsome too.

'_But not as handsome as Tendou,'_ she told herself with a silly grin.

She tried to make her way through the crowds so she could meet this boy, but it was no use. She was too far away and he crowds were thickening. It wasn't too long before she lost him. By now Rini's hopes were dwindling slightly. How was she supposed to make friends if she couldn't even meet anyone? Well, at least she had met Tendou. Meeting a guy like him really made her day. She could only hope that she would meet him again really soon.

Heaving another sigh, Rini just wandered through the crowds. If she couldn't make friends with anyone, then what was she going to do? Eyeing a stand for takoyaki, Rini took a moment to count her pocket change to see if she might possibly have enough money for a little snack. She smiled as she found that she had just enough for the tasty treat. She hoped. Steeling herself, she trekked over to the stand to get her treat. When she got close enough, she saw a familiar face that she was more than happy to see.

"Darien!" she cheered happily before she broke into a run.

The black-haired young man turned to see who had called his name before the excited little girl managed to catch up to him. Rini clamped onto his leg before scrambling up and planting herself on his shoulders. She had a bright smile on her face. No doubt she was happy at seeing her future father again. She was also talking at a very quick pace. It was almost too fast for Darien to follow.

"Darien! Darien! Darien!" she chattered. "I met the coolest guy ever just a minute ago! His name's Tendou and he was just sooooo coooool! Oh, he was so dreamy! I think I might be in love!"

"Well good for you, Rini," Darien smiled despite the sweatdrop.

Rini was going to talk some more, but a growling noise caught her attention. She turned to the source and found Serena giving her a death-glare with a fiery aura surrounding her. It was obvious that she was far from happy at Rini's sudden arrival.

"Rini!" she shrieked. "I'm on a date with Darien right now! Go away!"

"Humph!" Rini pounted. "He's my Darien too!"

"Why you!" Serena growled.

Rini immediately leaped off Darien's shoulders and so an argument began between the future mother and daughter. Darien heaved a tired sigh before he turned back to the takoyaki stand and got some extra food for the pink-haired girl. He looked back while he waited and found the two still going at it with words. He finally got the takoyaki and paid the vendor before walking back to the arguing girls.

"Okay, you two," Darien spoke while holding out the takoyaki as an offering. "Let's just calm down and have something to eat. Rini, I even got you some too."

This immediately got the two girls to stop arguing. They grabbed their own takoyaki before all three of them relocated to a bench so that they could enjoy the treat. Things were quiet for the moment as the two girls and one boy. Rini and Serena munched quietly on their snacks, just waiting for something to happen. Darien was much more relaxed as he ate. He felt that if both girls just put in a little effort, they could get along quite well. Of course, at times like this, it didn't seem possible.

Eventually, Rini stood up and held out her takoyaki to Darien, "Hey, Darien! This is a date isn't it? Then why don't you let me feed you?"

"WHAT?!" Serena raged loudly. It almost looked like she was possessed by a demon or something. "Listen here, shrimp! Darien is _my_ boyfriend so the only one who is going to feed him is me!"

"Oh, yeah?" Rini huffed, glaring at Serena.

"Yeah!" Serena glared back.

"Now girls-ULP!" Darien began before takoyaki was shoved in his mouth.

Both Serena and Rini had become deaf to his words as they began stuffing him with takoyaki. It was lucky that there wasn't that much or else Darien would have suffocated from being stuffed so full of the snacks. As it was, his mouth was packed to the breaking point. Serena and Rini both were still glaring at each other. Before the girls could try and use Darien in another one of their contests, the boy in question struggled over to a waste bin where he could get his mouth emptied. The girls just continued to glare at each other as Darien tried to recover.

While these events were going on, a couple donned in kimonos came walking along the path. One had her arm looped around the other's and looked very serene. In all they were very eye-catching. Serena and Rini hadn't really noticed them until the pair had walked over to them. Both girls finally noticed the pair and their eyes widened at their beauty. They were looking into the faces of their friends Haruka and Michelle.

"Hey there, Bun Head," Haruka greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"Hello, Serena," Michelle smiled.

"Ah! Haruka! Michelle!" Serena smiled brightly. "How are you? Wow! You both look so good!"

"Why thank you," Michelle giggled. She then turned to look at Rini with a curious eye. "Who's your little friend? Are you related?"

"Yeah," Haruka spoke up. "The resemblance between you two is uncanny."

"No way!" Both Serena and Rini denied. "It's just a coincidence!"

"I guess," Haruka shrugged. "But you still haven't introduced us to her."

"Oh!" Rini gasped. She stepped forward to the beautiful pair and bowed. "My name's Rini. It's nice to meet you."

"Cute," Haruka laughed. "My name's Haruka Tennou."

"And I'm Michelle Kaioh," Michelle giggled. "It's nice to meet you too Rini."

Rini smiled as she watched the pair. Serena looked to her and kneeled next to her, "Just what are you smiling about?"

"It's just that those two are so beautiful," Rini smiled. "Just like Mom and Dad."

Even though Serena was slightly flattered to hear her future self and future Darien being compared to Haruka and Michelle, she decided to set Rini straight. She leaned in close to Rini's ear and began to whisper to her, "Rini, even though she looks like that, Haruka is a woman. Also remember that your mother is me."

Rini's eyes widened as this information came home for her, "No way! There must be some mistake!"

Serena's eye twitched at the outburst. She assumed that Rini was talking about Serena being her mother. It soon erupted into yet another argument between the two girls. It involved a lot of the words 'spore' and 'meatball-brain' being hurled back and forth. Soon it degraded to the two pinching each other's cheeks. Haruka sighed slightly in amusement at the sight. Michelle giggled merrily at their antics. Kids would be kids after all.

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Meanwhile, Yagami was relaying what he'd learned from Rini to both Kagami and Tendou. The news would eventually spread to the other Riders. Tendou listened calmly to Yagami's explanation as Kagami looked promptly freaked out.

"You mean we may never get home!?" Kagami cried.

"Rini did say the Riders existed in the future," Yagami replied, calmly and shrugging, "Of course, I'm not sure if it's really us or our Zectors she was talking about." The Zectors were made out of very advanced technology, but could they really last that long into the future?

Tendou, of course, was frowning. Who would take care of Juka? "Well, regardless, learn what you can about our fate for the future."

Yagami nodded. As happy as he was to find out he would be in the future and possibly with Lita, he was still a bit worried for the other Riders. Would they react positively or negatively to this revelation?

Tendou, hearing about the 9th Rider was also growing worried. Could that possibly mean his dark counterpart? He should tell Yagami and the other Scouts about the darker version of himself, but was now the right time? Dark Kabuto was still in that dimension where he and Hiyori were living in at the moment, The Edge of Time and Space. Tendou couldn't really think of a reason why his doppelganger would leave. While it was true that he hated Tendou, he loved Hiyori more and wouldn't leave her without one very good reason.

Resigning himself to ponder on it, Tendou stood up and walked to the closet near the main hall. Yagami and Kagami watched him go with some curiosity. They didn't say a word since they figured that Tendou wouldn't give them a straight answer anyway. As they watched him open the closet, they leaned over slightly to try and see what he was bringing out. All they could see was some colorful clothes wrapped in dry cleaners plastic.

"Where are you going, Tendou?" asked Kagami, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"A job," Tendou replied simply.

"Huh?" Yagami blinked. "But Kamemaru gives us all the cash we need. Why do you want a job?"

"Boredom mostly," Tendou shrugged. "I met a young man over tea a few days ago. He asked me to come to his shop. So I am going."

Tendou fell quiet again before he left the house. Kagami and Yagami looked to each other again. Tendou was being his odd self as usual, but he usually had a reason behind whatever he did. Shrugging, they figured that they would get an answer later. Kagami then returned to interrogating Yagami for some kind of information that Rini had given him about the future. Yagami had tried to hold the information about the 'Big Three'. He figured that Kagami would become unbearable because of it and Tendou's ego was big enough as it was.

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Mamoru heaved a sigh as he finally got the takoyaki dislodged from his throat. Looking over to Serena and Rini, he spied Haruka and Michelle dressed in formal outfits. Smiling a little, he headed over to the group of women.

"Hey there," Darien smiled as he waved to Haruka and Michelle. "Nice to see you both."

"Likewise," Michelle nodded in agreement. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Nothing a little water won't fix," Darien smiled despite a sweatdrop.

"Hmm," Haruka smirked. "And here I thought most men would love to have two girls fawning over them."

"Well, I'm not most guys," Darien shrugged humbly.

"I can see that," Michelle agreed. "Serena's a very lucky girl to be with you."

"Aww!" Serena giggled, suddenly snapping out of her argument with Rini. "Go on!"

"So, what are you two doing all dressed up anyway?" asked Darien with some curiosity.

"We were going to get some tea," Michelle replied. "Would you like to come too?"

Serena's mind was quickly filled with images of tea, pudding, and cakes. The very thought made her drool as she continued to dream about the sweets that she could get at any of the tea shops that she could go to.

"Oh…I don't think we-" Darien began before Serena and Rini hopped in front of him with bright smiles on their faces.

"Sure!" the both smiled with some giggles. It was obvious they were related now with the smiles on their faces. They were both entertaining thoughts about sweets at the same time, which only went to further prove that they were related.

"Great," Haruka smiled. "The more the merrier."

"Yay!" Serena and Rini cheered loudly. Darien just heaved a sigh. He had a pretty good idea as to what he was getting into. Unfortunately, whenever Serena got an idea into her head she never let go until she finished it or it blew up in her face. This was most likely going to be one of the latter.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Serena with a smile. "Let's go!"

With that declaration, Serena hooked her arm around Darien's and began to drag him after Haruka and Michelle. Rini was bringing up the rear. Both ponytailed girls were dreaming of puddings and cookies as they went along their way. They just couldn't wait to taste them.

Haruka and Michelle walked through some of the streets as they walked to their destination. They made conversation as they walked. Serena was pondering just where they were going to get tea while Darien knew that something bad was going to happen. Not bad as in an attack by Deathbusters, but more like an embarrassing slip-up that would leave Serena crying and refusing to come out of her bedroom for a couple of hours.

"Here we are," Michelle suddenly spoke up.

Serena and Rini looked to where the two older girls were looking and found themselves gazing at a very traditional looking Japanese house. It seemed very peaceful and quiet as they gazed at it. Serena looked very confused at the sight. After a moment of scratching her head, she turned to Haruka and Michelle.

"Hey, I thought we were going to get tea," she frowned.

"We are," Haruka grinned. "This is a formal tea ceremony. You don't think that Michelle and I get all dressed up just to go to a cafe do you?"

"Uhhhh," Serena blinked, cursing her over-eagerness for sweets.

"Let's go in, shall we?" asked Michelle.

"Sure," Darien smiled. Serena grabbed his arm again while Rini walked alongside the two.

The inside of the house was very clean and tidy. It was just as peaceful inside as it was outside. Everyone slipped their shoes off before stepping inside. Haruka and Michelle led the way and soon everyone was inside a tatami-floored room. They all took a seat in front of a table with all the necessities for the tea ceremony placed on it. Everyone remained quiet for a short time before they could hear someone approaching another door. The door slid open before a boy about Rini's age who was in traditional Japanese clothes stepped inside. Rini instantly recognized him from the park. He had vanished before she could meet him though.

"Hello, everyone," he smiled. "My name is Tamasaburou. We will begin the ceremony shortly once the one performing the ceremony arrives."

Haruka and Michelle blinked at each other before turning back to Tamasaburou. Michelle was the one who voiced their question, "The one performing the ceremony? I thought you would be the one doing that. I heard you were one of the best."

"You flatter me," Tamasaburou smiled. "While I do have pride in my skills, I still can recognize when someone has more skill at the ceremony than I do. I met him a few days ago when he came in for tea. He actually performed the ceremony himself flawlessly. No, beyond flawlessly. It was utter perfection. I managed to persuade him to teach me. He permitted me to witness how he does a ceremony so I may see where my flaws are shown."

"My, my," Michelle spoke softly. "He must be good if even you have found flaws in your own abilities. I can hardly wait to meet him."

A new set of footsteps could be heard as Tamasaburou took a seat at the side of the room. The footsteps came closer as the people in the room waited for this mysterious teacher to show himself. Everyone looked to the door as the footsteps came closer and the teacher came to the door. Darien, Rini, and Serena gasped noticeably while Haruka and Michelle stiffened. Haruka's eyes had also narrowed significantly as she gazed at him.

"Tendou?!" Serena, and Rini gasped. Darien's eyes had widened in slight surprise.

Standing at the door was their fellow warrior Tendou, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Kabuto. He was wearing his own set of Japanese formal wear which made him look almost princely. His eyes were scanning the room as he looked at the audience he was going to have with the tea ceremony. He eyed Rini for a fraction of a second, the news Yagami had told him echoed in his mind. He also looked at Haruka and Michelle which he gazed at for a longer moment. He then walked into the room and took a seat.

"Welcome," Tendou remarked as he looked at his audience.

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Deep within his underground lab, Professor Tomoe had decided to take a break for the moment. He was in the midst of his own personal tea ceremony. He had been surprisingly quiet as he stirred up the tea and blew on it to try and cool it. He then took a small sip, but he stiffened and accidentally dropped the cup. The ceramic piece shattered on the ground as the hot liquid spilled over the floor. The professor took a moment to recover his senses.

"Too hot," he mumbled. "A shame."

As he considered making another cup, an idea suddenly came to him. A wide gin came to his face before he reached to the phone and pressed a button on it before he held it to his ear. The sound of a phone ringing was on the other end. After a minute of waiting, someone picked up.

(OK, insert split screen effect here)

"Professor?" asked Eudial.

"I've just had an idea," the professor spoke with his grin. "Why not try a target whom is connected to traditional arts such as the tea ceremony?"

"Hmmm," Eudial pondered. "That is something. I think I may have what you're looking for."

She took a moment to type away at her computer. After a moment, a file popped up on Tamasaburou. She took a moment to read it before a smile came across her face.

"I got him," she reported. "He's incredibly talented in the tea ceremony and is seen as a prodigy in the field. Someone this dedicated to his art could have a talisman."

"My thoughts exactly," the professor laughed. "I'll leave you to it."

"You can count on me, sir," Eudial smiled.

"Remember one thing," the professor spoke up. "If you cannot secure the heart crystal, then at the very least try to capture the Riders in action. Your last film showed some interesting aspects. Try to capture their finishing system in action. That might be the last piece of the puzzle we need."

"I will deliver, professor," Eudial smiled before she hung up.

(Split screen effect over)

She then reached to her keyboard and typed in a new command. With a hit if the enter key, a large machine came to life as it brought a Daimon seed in a vial over to a large chamber. Inside of it was a pot used to hold hot water for the traditional tea ceremony. The Daimon seed was injected inside the camber as it was sealed shut. After a few moments something could be heard moving inside of it. Eudial just left her station and went out to the parking garage where her car was waiting. She looked to the conveyor belt and smiled as she saw the silver box with the black star of the Deathbusters coming towards her. She loaded up the object and stepped into her car as she was loaded onto a moving platform.

As her exit opened, sunlight streamed in. It was blocked suddenly as an airplane came in for a landing just a couple of meters behind her. Once the platform was secure and she was cleared to go, she pushed down on the gas pedal and shot down the runway like a bullet.

The hunt was on.

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Both Haruka and Michelle, also known as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune respectively, both knew the identity of Kamen Rider Kabuto. And now…here he was, performing a tea ceremony of all things!

Haruka was getting reminded of all the things that Kabuto had said to her and her agitation was clearly evident to Michelle even though it was hidden under a calm façade. She wanted so much to pound Tendou's face in after all the grief he and the other Riders had caused for her but Michelle convinced her to calm down and not cause the scene. Haruka just hated the egotistical Rider even more now.

Tendou, on the other hand, who was always sharp either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. Right now, he was playing the part of host of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. As with everyone he did, it was flawless. It was the truest definition of perfection.

And Rini's eyes were sparkling. When she saw Tendou in his clothes right now, she swooned and had hearts in her eyes as her heartbeat quickened. He was just so…so…gorgeous!

Rini, unlike Serena and Darien, had no idea that Tendou was Kabuto at all. They did know she was a fan of the Kamen Riders in the future. They wondered if they should tell her, or not. They considered telling her after the tea ceremony.

Michelle couldn't help but be impressed. Even though he was a Kamen Rider and she was a Sailor Scout, right now they were only people enjoying a traditional tea ceremony. She did, however, have to keep the reins on Haruka who looked ready to go ballistic, at least to her. Despite the calm look on Haruka's face, she knew how she thought and those thoughts were now focused on pounding the Rider in front of them. Sometimes, she often wondered if Haruka could not fight and just listen. Oh, well, it was one of her attractive qualities.

"Magnificent," Tamasaburou breathed out as he watched Tendou's perfect technique.

"Grandmother said this; tradition is an extremely important piece of not only our heritage, but also our identity," Tendou quoted. "Without it, we would begin to lose our very individuality."

Haruka withheld the urge to snort. Despite what she knew about the Rider in front of her, if she started a scene then it might not turn out well for her. She knew that she was an excellent fighter, but she also knew that Tendou was an even better one. No one was as confident as him without having the skills to back it up. Picking a fight with him at the moment was just asking for trouble. He had proved his fighting prowess when he fought a Daimon without his armor and appeared to be winning.

Michelle quietly marveled at Tendou's technique at the tea ceremony. She was beginning to see that perhaps his unbelievable confidence was warranted if he was just as skilled at everything as he was at fighting and the tea ceremony. It wasn't often that she met people like him.

Serena was resisting the urge to squeal in excitement at the moment. It was mostly a two-fold reason why she was being quiet. One reason was because she was eager to taste what Tendou's tea would be like. She recalled every spectacular meal that he had made when Yagami would let her and their friends taste it. Another reason was that her legs were killing her from sitting on her legs like she was.

"Tamasaburou," Tendou spoke suddenly.

"Oh!" Tamasaburou gasped. He then stood up quickly. "Of course! I'll be back momentarily."

Tamasaburou then quickly left the room. Haruka and Michelle seemed to be restrained as they sat on their seats. Both Serena and Rini were looking to the door where Tamasaburou had been. All remained silent as Tendou continued working on the tea. His movements were graceful and coordinated. All the witnesses couldn't help but watch him work. Tendou himself barely seemed to notice them as he continued with his task.

Quiet footsteps caught everyone's attention as Tamasaburou appeared in the doorway again. He was holding a plate in his hands which had odango. He walked over to the table and gently placed the plate down in front of the guests.

"Please enjoy," Tamasaburou smiled. He then walked back to where he had been sitting before and returned to being a witness.

Rini's eyes sparkled as she reached to one of the odango and popped it into her mouth. She was trying to be as quiet as possible since she didn't want to break the peaceful atmosphere. As she was chewing away, Serena silently tapped her shoulder. Rini looked to Serena and the blonde ponytailed girl pointed over to Haruka and Michelle.

Haruka and Michelle, with their usual grace, were using some of the eating utensils placed out to cut small sections of the odango away Rini suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed that she had just gone and eaten like she had in front of Tendou. A slight snickering had caught her attention and she noticed that Serena was stifling her laughs.

"It's not funny!" Rini hissed in a whisper before hitting Serena in the legs.

Serena suddenly stiffened as pain ripped through her already sleeping legs. She was shivering, which went to show just how much she was holding in the urge to flail and cry about how much pain she was in. She had taken a few calming breaths before glaring at her future daughter. Before Rini could try anything else, Serena bopped her in the legs. Now both girls were shivering, trying their best to hold in their pain.

Tendou spied their antics with something dangerously close to a smile. As amusing as it was to watch the pair go at each other, he decided that they had enough suffering for the moment. As he began to stir the tea for his guests, he spoke again.

"You know," he spoke. "If you two are really that uncomfortable, then you can relax your legs."

"Really?" Serena and Rini asked, hope in their voices.

"Of course," Tendou nodded. "The comfort of my guests is paramount since I am the host."

Serena and Rini heaved large sighs of relief as they took a more relaxed seating position. Darien just shook his head at the antics of his girlfriend and future daughter. Tendou felt some further amusement as he watched the two. Haruka watched them and shook her head.

"He's just doing that to make you feel better you know," she spoke from where she was eating her own odango.

Serena and Rini held back the urge to be embarrassed by their actions. Tendou just continued to make the tea. At one point, he stood up while stirring it with a stick. Both Serena and Rini began to feel relief that they weren't the only ones relaxing their legs anymore, but Haruka's words about making them feel better came back to them. Rini continued to watch Tendou work while gazing at the fine glass and polished tools that he was making use of.

"Wow," she sighed quietly. "It's all so pretty."

"It is, isn't it?" smiled Tamasaburou. "These instruments are very expensive and must be used with care. Tendou-sensei has just the right touch when he uses them. It is amazing."

Haruka made a silent growling noise as she heard the young boy idolize the Rider which had given her and Michelle so much grief. Michelle just gripped Haruka's hand tighter to keep her from doing something rash. No one else seemed to notice save for Tendou, who remained quiet. Rini turned to Tamasaburou as she had more questions.

"Are these things really that expensive?" she asked with some awe in her voice.

"Yes," Tamasaburou nodded. "The cup Tendou-sensei is using alone is worth ten million Yen."

"What?!" Serena gasped in shock. "Oh no! Tendou, you shouldn't be using such expensive things on just us."

Serena quickly got up to her feet, hoping to stop Tendou from using such pretty and expensive cups and tools just for their sake. Unfortunately, her legs were completely asleep at this time and using them so quickly was not an advisable option. Serena quickly discovered why not as her numb legs caused her to stumble forward towards Tendou. The calm Rider in civilian form reacted quickly and tossed his cup into the air. Everyone watching gasped loudly at what they were witnessing. As Serena was falling, Tendou wrapped an arm around her and pulled her around the table. His arm was still around her so she could stand properly. Tendou then reached out with his other hand and caught the falling cup in his hand. Not a single drop had fallen out.

"Uh...what happened?" Serena blinked. It had happened so fast she couldn't be sure where anything was at the moment. Haruka and Michelle blinked at the amazing display of grace and coordination. Darien was amazed as well at what he had just seen. Tendou had caught Serena and saved the cup and tea before anyone could even blink. Rini just had a sad frown on and a tomato-shade face. She looked less than pleased at what had happened.

--------------------------------------------**Later**----------------------------------------------------

The tea ceremony had finally ended and everyone had left. Haruka and Michelle had both said a hasty goodbye before leaving. Darien and Serena had noticed that Rini was looking very down. Both silently agreed that maybe a trip to a cafe for some sweets would cheer her up a little. All three were enjoying a small cake or something similar.

"Rini, what's wrong?" asked Serena, tired of the silence.

"You embarrassed me in front of Tendou and Tamasaburou, that's what," Rini huffed angrily.

"Hey!" Serena cried indignantly. "I was-"

"Stop it, the both of you," Darien sighed. This was no time to go into one of their usual squabbles. He looked to his future daughter with sympathy before speaking up again. "Rini, do you like Tamasaburou as much as you do Tendou? I heard you mention you liked him when you found us."

"It's not that," Rini sighed. "Mom told me to make a lot of friends here in this time. That tea ceremony would have been an important meeting."

"But didn't you meet Tendou before seeing him at the tea ceremony?" asked Serena in some confusion.

"Sure," Rini nodded. "But that was just a passing meeting. I wasn't expecting to see him again so soon! Now he probably thinks I'm just like you."

"Now don't say that," Darien spoke up, trying to comfort Rini and keep Serena from starting another argument. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Yeah," Serena agreed. "I mean, if you had told me about the whole making friends thing earlier, I would have helped."

"You always mess things up if you try to help," Rini shot back.

"What?!" Serena cried. "Why you-ulp!"

Serena's rant had been cut off when Darien clamped his hand over her mouth. Things had just gotten peaceful again and he didn't want it to break down into another argument between his future daughter and girlfriend again. He had enough of that the last time Rini had come and the day since her return. After a few moments, Serena calmed down enough for Darien to remove his hand.

"Hnnn," Serena huffed before gazing at Rini again.

"Now I think you two have argued enough," Darien spoke as he maintained a level gaze on both girls. "Why don't you both make up and we can see if we can't brighten our day a little."

Serena remained silent as she continued to gaze at her future daughter who was resting her head on her arms on the table. Slowly, she reached out to Rini with her palm facing up in a gesture of peace. Rini glanced at the offered hand before reaching out herself and taking it. Both girls made a brief handshake before bringing their hands back.

"Now was that so hard?" Darien asked with an exasperated smile on his face.

"No," Rini sighed. "But how am I going to be friends with Tamasaburou and Tendou now? They probably think I'm a klutz now."

"Now hold on," Darien sighed. "You know that isn't true. You didn't do anything like that during the ceremony. All you need to do is to meet with them again. You can always visit the teahouse and we're friend with Kira Yagami so you're bound to meet up with Tendou again if you hang around us."

"You really think so?" asked Rini, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"It's not that far of a stretch," Serena replied, trying to be encouraging. "We see Tendou a lot considering he's a Ka-!"

"I got it!" Rini cried out suddenly, interrupting her future mother. "I just got a great idea for me to get to know Tendou and Tamasaburou!"

"Huh?" both Darien and Serena blinked in confusion as their future daughter continued to smile brightly.

"Serena, I'm going to need your help!" Rini added as she gazed at thee older blonde.

"My help?" Serena asked in confusion.

"Yeah!" Rini nodded before grabbing her hand. "C'mon!"

Serena was immediately yanked from her seat as Rini started pulling her along. Darien hurriedly placed the money due for the snacks on the table before running off after the two girls. Luckily for him, his time spent as Tuxedo Mask and Serena's boyfriend gave him exceptional endurance in keeping up with the hyperactive blonde. Too bad his wallet couldn't when Serena started feeding her sweet tooth.

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Kagami was walking down some of the more suburban streets in attempts to figure out where Tendou had gotten to. His curiosity had gotten the better of him while he was reading the paper and had nothing to do. Yagami was busy talking to Lita on the phone again and all the sweet talk was grinding on his nerves. The Kuwagata Rider figured it was his penance in teasing the Hercules Beetle Rider so often about his growing relationship with the girl. That led to his current project in trying to find out where Tendou was working now. Kagami prided himself in knowing the most about the red Rider outside of his family. Of course, that wasn't much, but it was still something. One thing that Kagami knew that Tendou would do was only take a job if it befitted his abilities. Kagami also knew that the clothes Tendou had pulled out of the closet had to be Japanese formal wear and there were only a few places nearby where one would need something like that. Then again, knowing Tendou, he'd take it someplace a good distance from home just because he could.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he sighed tiredly.

Continuing his search, he noticed two people walking in the opposite direction from him. As he walked closer, he could make out that both of them had twin ponytails on their heads. The older girl was blonde and had her hair styled into two balls on the top of her head. The younger girl had pink hair styled into what looked like rabbit ears. Further inspection revealed that while the older girl was dressed normally, the younger one was wearing a formal Japanese kimono. When they came closer, Kagami could see a black cat with an odd moon symbol on its forehead was following them.

"Hey. Isn't that Serena and that the Rini girl that New Guy told us about?" Kagami muttered as he watched them. He grinned. "Maybe I should introduce myself. Here I go." He ran up to them and then decided to use the direct approach. "Yo!"

Serena blinked and asked, "Um…can we help you?"

Kagami smiled. "I was hoping so. I'm Kira's cousin, Arata Kagami," Kagami introduced.

"Oh, you're his cousin!" Serena said. "Hi, I'm-"

"Serena Tsukino," Kagami said. "I know. Kira's told me a lot about you."

"Oh?" Serena said. "I thought he'd be talking about Lita more. She is his girlfriend."

"Yeah, and they make a really cute couple. He talks about her a lot but he talks about all of you now and them," Kagami nodded. He then squatted down to meet Rini's gaze, "I don't think he's mentioned you though. And you might be…"

"I'm Rini! Nice to meet ya!" Rini introduced. Kagami chuckled.

"Likewise."

Serena didn't suspect that Kagami was Gatack, but then again she didn't think that anyone else in Kira's family aside from Tendou could be a Rider. What would be the odds of that?

"So where are you heading, Kagami?" asked Serena curiously.

"Well, I'm actually looking for Tendou," Kagami admitted sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "He left today in one of his usual exits and left me and Kira wondering what he's doing. Since Kira was distracted by his 'Lita-chan' I decided to find out for myself."

"We know where he is!" Rini proclaimed with sparkles in her eyes. "We were heading there ourselves!"

"Really?" Kagami asked. "So what's he doing?"

"Well," Serena sighed. "Me and my boyfriend Darien (Kira told you about him right?) were on a date when Rini here found us. She was going on about this guy she met when Haruka and Michelle found us. Did Kira mention them too? Anyway, we ended up going to a formal tea ceremony where Tendou was the one performing it."

"I can see him doing that," Kagami nodded. "I've seen him do simpler things. A guy like him though...it's like he can do almost anything."

"Isn't he the coolest?" Rini gushed as she clasped her hands together.

_'So he's got another fan. Cute_,' Kagami snickered in his mind.

"Well, when it was all over Rini here wanted more chances to see him and his student Tamasaburou. She dragged me home, ending my date with Darien so I could help her get this kimono on."

"And what exactly is Rini hoping to accomplish?" Kagami asked, trying to understand.

"I'm going to go over there and have Tendou make me his student!" Rini spoke confidently. Kagami only sweat dropped for a brief moment as he tried to wrap his brain around the concept of Tandou taking on a student without a good reason.

"Well you'd better not get my kimono dirty!" Serena frowned as she glared at Rini's back.

"What do you care?" Rini huffed back. "It's not like you're going to use it anymore."

"That's not the point!" Serena shot back. "The point is that kimonos are really expensive and you have to keep them clean!"

"You're just saying that because you're cheap!"

"CHEAP!? Why you little-!" Serena pinched Rini's cheeks and began pulling. Rini reached up just as quickly and pinched Serena's cheeks as well, pulling equally hard. Kagami just stared at the childish fight.

"You two must be related," he blinked as he watched to two go at each other.

As he watched the squabble continue, Kagami began to hear an engine roaring in the distance. Looking in the same direction, Kagami noticed a white minivan speeding towards them at a pace that most professional racers would have loved to have. His eyes stayed trained on it for a moment before he realised that the driver wasn't going to slow down for anything.

"Look out!" he cried before yanking both girls out of harm's way. A fraction of a second later, the car roared past them. Both Serena and Kagami managed to catch a glimpse of the driver.

"Eudial!" Serena gasped, recognising her.

"Eudial?" Kagami blinked. The information suddenly hit him like a hammer. He remembered that Yagami reported on the new enemy who was leading the hunt for the talismans. Her name was Eudial and she used different tactics in her own hunt. She would bring Daimon straight to her target and steal the pure heart they possessed. If push came to shove then she would release the Daimon she brought along and make a break for it. One thing was bothering Kagami though. The only ones who even knew her name were the Kamen Riders and the Sailor Scouts so...

'_Wait a second,_' Kagami thought as the puzzle began to come together.

"It's heading for Tamasaburou's house!" Rini cried urgently as she and Serena started running.

"Wait for me!" Kagami cried, dashing to keep up with the hyperactive young women.

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Tamasaburou was calmly waiting in the ceremony room with his tools out, practising. His sensei had gone to get some more supplies while his student continued with his art. When he returned, they would continue with their lessons. Tendou was a very strict teacher, but he was very understanding too, even if he didn't show it. Tamasaburou was confident that under Tendou's tutelage, he would become a true master of the tea ceremony.

As he was polishing some of his tools, there was a huge crash in the yard. Despite being given the shock of his life, Tamasaburou remained calm as he walked out to the yard to see what had happened. He peered out into the open grass and saw that a white minivan with a black star etched on the front doors had driven in and crashed into one of the stone sculptures. The car seemed absolutely fine despite the heavy stone it had collided with. Taking a few steps closer, Tamasaburou saw a red-haired woman in a white coat step out of the car.

"Woah," she mumbled as she stepped out and looked around. "Did I hit something?"

Looking around, she noticed Tamasaburou standing just outside his home, looking on curiously. A sinister smirk appeared on her face as she noticed him.

"Perfect!" she laughed.

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"This way!" Rini called as she, Serena, and Kagami raced towards Tamasaburou's house.

As they got closer to the home, they knew that time was of the essence. Rini was looking for closer ways into the house so she could help her future teacher and fellow student. She suddenly stopped when she spied a hole along the bottom of the bottom of the large hedges that surrounded the property. Due to her size, Rini was able to slip right through them before darting towards the house. Luna was right behind her.

"Rini! Luna!" Serena cried as she ducked down. "Wait up!"

Serena crawled towards the hole in the bushes, but only managed to get halfway through. She tried to get further in but found that her hips were caught on the hard wood centres of the two bushes. A few failed attempts only began to show Serena that such actions hurt.

"Ah!" she cried in frustration. "A little help?"

Kagami would have laughed if the situation wasn't so tense. He wanted to get through the bushes since they were the easiest route, but since Serena was proving to be too big to get through, there was no way that he was going to do it.

"Nuts," he frowned. "It's always the hard way."

Serena continued to struggle with her entrapment, trying to find a way out so she could help Rini. After a few moments of struggling, she heaved a dangerous growl before she turned her head towards the wall of green, glaring at where she hoped Kagami would be on the other side.

"A little help, please?" she asked.

"STANDBY!" was the reply she got.

A clicking noise caught her attention and she noticed a blue and yellow object flying right at her. As it came closer, she could make out two large pinchers and two red eyes. At first she was confused on what it was, but she then remembered one of the Scout's interoga...question sessions with Yagami about the Riders and she remembered that he had mentioned this one.

"Gatack?!" she gasped in shock. The cannon mounted blue Rider was nearby?

The Gatack Zector buzzed right past Serena's head and through the bushes. She heard someone grab it before Kagami's voice came to her ears.

"We don't have time for mistakes, Serena," he spoke seriously. It was a big difference from his friendly mood a minute ago. "Henshin!"

"HENSHIN!"

Serena could hear lots of mechanical noises coming from behind. She could tell what was happening since she had seen Riders transform before, but it was still pretty darn cool to see it happen! She wanted to see!

The bushes started moving a little at first, but then more violently. Before Serena could realize it, the hedges had been torn wide open, snapping the trunks and setting Serena free. She looked up and saw the red-eyed face of Kamen Rider Gatack in his Masked Form staring back at her.

"Eeeeh?!" Serena cried. "You're a Rider too, Kagami?! Is everyone in Kira's family a Rider?!"

"Just us," Gatack shrugged as he helped Serena to her feet. "Now come on! We have a Deathbuster to take down!"

"Right!" Serena nodded before both she and the Kamen Rider started running for the house.

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Tamasaburou watched as the strange woman scrambled with something in her car. She occasionally peeked back to him to see if he was still there. After a few times, Tamasaburou decided to just end the suspense and ask just what the heck this lady was doing.

"Um…excuse me," he called, catching the woman's attention. "Can I ask who you are?"

"Oh, me?" the woman giggled as she grabbed something in her car. "You can just call me...CAPTURED!"

Eudial whipped out her gun and pointed right at the young man. She quickly fired the trigger and sent a blast right at Tamasaburou. The black beam collided with the young man and forced his heart crystal right out of his back. Tamasaburou instantly collapsed onto the dirt ground while the heart crystal continued to hover.

"Hnn," Eudial smiled. "A crack shot every time."

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Rini was running as quickly as her wooden sandals could allow her. She kept an eye on the house and when she saw the black light erupt from the front yard, she knew that something was seriously wrong.

"Tamasaburou!" Rini cried before reaching into her robes and pulling out a small compact that had a pink crystal heart embedded in it. "_Moon Prism Power!_"

The brooch started powering up as the crystal began blinking. Since Rini's magic was nowhere near as strong as the other Scouts' were for the time being, her transformation needed a little time to properly commence. Serena's did too but that was because it had to compact a lot of magical energy into one person. As Rini continued running, her transformation hadn't begun yet and she wasn't paying attention to what was right in front of her rather than in the distance. Thus, it was natural that she tripped on a rock.

"Wagh!" she cried as she tumbled over the ground for a moment. When she finally came to a stop, her brooch glowed brightly as pink energy washed over her and transformed her into Mini-Moon.

"Ouch," Rini grumbled before getting back to her feet. Her determination returned to her eyes before she got back to her feet and return to her destination.

Several feet behind her, Gatack and Serena were keeping an even pace. They both spied Rini transforming and her subsequent tripping. Serena sweatdropped from embarrassment while Gatack seemed to be considering his next words.

"She does need training, doesn't she?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah," Serena nodded. She then stopped running for a moment to reach for her brooch and brought it out. Raising it into the air, she began her transformation, "_Moon Cosmic Power!_"

A bright light erupted from the brooch which hid Serena from view. Gatack covered his eyes to avoid being blinded. At best, all he could see was pink ribbons floating in the air before vanishing into the light where Serena was. The light then vanished as quickly as it appeared, but instead of Serena standing in the spot it occupied, there was only Sailor Moon.

"Let's go!" Sailor Moon spoke up. Gatack only nodded before the two of them continued running.

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Eudial was slowly approaching the heart crystal, grinning in anticipation. Suddenly, she heard someone shout out at her, "Stop right there!" Eudial turned to see who dared to interrupt her and sweatdropped. It was a pipsqueak of a Sailor Scout in pink! The tiny Scout immediately planted herself between Tamasaburou's heart crystal and the deranged scientist.

"I won't let you take this boy's heart away!" Mini-Moon cried as she glared at Eudial. "I am the warrior of love and justice (in training) Sailor Mini-Moon! In place of the future moon, I will punish you!"

Eudial was less than impressed as she watched the youngest Scout strike a common Sailor Moon pose. Heaving an annoyed sigh, she frowned at her shrimpy opponent, "Is that supposed to scare me or something, brat?"

"Hey!" Mini-Moon cried indignantly. "I worked hard on that speech!"

"Whatever," Eudial huffed before she reached into her pocket and pressed a button o a device she kept in there. "If you want to play hero then beat my Daimon and prove it!"

The minivan's rear door opened up to reveal a metal crate with a black star on it. The box immediately opened wide as pink smoke sprayed everywhere. Mini-Moon began to feel anxious as she heard something moving in the middle of the pink fog.

The pink fog was quick to disperse as the new Daimon was revealed. It was wearing purple robes which would fit right in with the tea ceremony and was female with bright green skin. It had a formal tea ceremony brush for hair which was keeping its eyes hidden, but it could probably still see. It was also sitting on top of a purple pillow which was levitating a couple of inches off the ground.

"CHAGAMA!" the Daimon screeched loudly.

"Chagama," Eudial spoke as she tore off her lab coat to reveal her battle attire. "There's someone in our way in getting the heart crystal. Take her down!"

"CHAGAMA!" was Chagam's reply before she rocketed towards Mini-Moon. She reached into her robes and pulled out a large napkin and hurled it right at the tiny Scout. She kept a hand on the corner of it for easy retrieval.

TSEEEEW! TSEEEW!

Bullets quickly collided with the length of fabric, destroying it before it could capture Mini-Moon. Chagama didn't even get to mourn the loss of her tool before a second volley of bullets stuck her and sent her spinning wildly from the blow.

"What the-?!" Eudial gasped as she turned to see who had fired at them.

"Attack such a unique child is an unforgivable crime!" a new female voice called out. Everyone's attention turned to where the voice came from and it was revealed to all that it was Sailor Moon who spoke those words. Just behind her was the equally familiar image of the Kamen Rider who was most heavily armed, Kamen Rider Gatack.

"I am the original warrior of love and justice, Sailor Moon!" the leader of Sailor Scouts cried as she took a pose. "In the name of the true moon, I shall punish you!"

Gatack remained silent through the entire introduction, but while it was happening, his attention slowly turned to Sailor Moon. He just couldn't understand why they had to go through such a flashy introduction. The Deathbsters already knew who they were. If the Riders had been posing like that before they fought worms, they would have been dead already.

'_Just where do they come up with this stuff?_' he thought absently to himself.

"A Rider," Eudial snickered as she reached into her vehicle for something. She brought a camera back out and pressed the recording button. She silently hoped that if this Daimon was going to be defeated, then it would be the Rider who would do it. She needed to get some shots of the finisher system that they used. "Chagama! Get rid of these fools! You can start with the shrimpy one!"

"Right!" Chagama snickered as she returned her gaze to Mini-Moon.

The Daimon brought out a small mixing bowl and stirred furiously for only a second before she flew at a rapid speed at Mini-Moon. She brought the bowl up slightly and some of the contents spilled out onto the grass. The small patch of grass died instantly as the sick liquid dissolved it into nothing. Sailor Moon and Gatack were already running to intercept their opponent before it could reach Mini-Moon. Gatack instantly decided to lighten the load as he reached to his Zector.

"Cast Off!" he cried as he pulled the pinchers of his Zectorback.

"CAST OFF!" it echoed as the armor loosened.

Sailor Moon was lucky that she was far enough away as the armor broke free from Gatack's body. Eudial ducked behind her car and the Daimon stopped its attack to see the armor pieces flying at it. Chagama gripped her bowl of acid tea and hurled the contents at the armor as it came at her. The pieces were stopped dead before they could actually strike her. Gatack didn't care as his horns folded onto his helmet. He then unsnapped the Gatack Double Calibres from his shoulders and went to engage the enemy.

"CHANGE STAG BEETLE!"

"Yeah!" Mini-Moon cheered. "Go, Gatack!"

"Hmph," a new voice snorted from behind. "More interference."

Mini-Moon blinked in confusion. She looked up to the roof of the building and saw two new Sailor Scouts that she hadn't seen in the past last time she visited. One had short blonde hair while the other had shoulder length aquamarine hair. Their outfits were the same except the blonde's had a yellow bow.

Both of them were looking down on the battle where Gatack had engaged the Daimon while it tried to attack Sailor Moon, who was dodging like an expert. He slashed at the Daimon with his blades but it was able to protest itself by ducking. Mini-Moon was trying to keep an eye on not only the battle, but Tamasaburou and these two new Scouts as well.

"Who are you two?" Mini-Moon asked with grim determination. "Why are you here?"

The two Outer Scouts turned to look at Mini-Moon. Neptune was curious but Uranus just narrowed her eyes.

"Battles like these aren't meant for little girls," Uranus scolded. "You better go home."

"Hey!" Mini-Moon cried out, "I'm a Sailor Scout too! Okay, I'm in training, but still a Scout."

"Heh, whatever," Uranus scoffed as the two of them leapt off the roof to check on the heart crystal that was still hovering over Tamasaburou. Neptune gazed at it for a second and shook her head sadly.

"It's not a talisman," Neptune informed before the heart crystal began floating back down into Tamasubarou's body. The aquamarine-haired Senshi then leaned down to pick up the small boy. Uranus growled at the revelation.

"Great…" she and Neptune turned to leave. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Mini-Moon shouted. "Who are you two? Aren't you going to help?"

"I'm Sailor Neptune," Neptune introduced herself.

"And I'm Sailor Uranus," Uranus added, "and we're _real_ Sailor Scouts with a mission. We're not here to help you girls or the Riders." She spoke the word 'Riders' like it was something disgusting. "And you better stay out of this."

The two Outers were ready to leave but then heard a voice speak calmly, "Grandmother said this; to turn your back on others is what the cowardly do. Only the truly brave will strive forward and face any danger head on."

Mini-Moon, Neptune and Uranus all heard the voice and turned to see Tendoe. Uranus growled angrily as Neptune appeared to be contemplating his words. Mini-Moon just blinked in confusion.

"STANDBY!" a voice spoke up as a red beetle came flying into the scene. It flew around and passed Eudial, who caught it on camera, flew circles around the Daimon's head before it flew straight into Tendou's hand.

"Henshin," Tendou spoke before snapping it to his belt.

The Kabuto Zector echoed, "HENSHIN!"

The armor covered his body and Mini-Moon's eyes widened. One of the God Speed Warriors that she had looked up to for as long as she could remember was right under her nose the whole time? She just couldn't help but cry out her surprise. "KABUTO!?"

Kabuto remained silent before he charged into the battle. The Daimon was distracted at the moment. Taking advantage of the distraction, Kabuto reached down pulled the horn of his Zector before calling out, "Cast Off!"

"CAST OFF!" the Zector roared as the armor blasted off his body. "CHANGE BEETLE!"

The armor flew in all directions, but missed Uranus, Neptune, and Mini-Moon. Gatack and Sailor Moon noticed his arrival and leaped out of the way. Chagama however, wasn't able to move quickly enough and got hit with several pieces. The force of the attack almost managed to knock her off her pillow, but she managed to keep her balance.

Kabuto merely pressed his advantage by taking a flying jump and kicking the Daimon hard, sending it further back. Kabuto landed on his feet and stood straight, keeping his gaze on Chagama. He glanced over to Eudial, who was keeping her camera trained on the battle. The red Rider paid her little mind as he turned his attention back to the Daimon he was facing.

"Grandmother said this," he quoted. "The potential of a child is immeasurable and must be nurtured to achieve that power."

"Uh-oh," Gatack gulped as he heard Kabuto's words.

"What is it?" asked Sailor Moon.

"I think he's mad," Gatack replied, gripping his blades. "That Daimon isn't going to live past today."

Kabuto remained still before he slowly raised his hand up to the sky. His fingers were pointing directly at the sun in his usual pose when he introduced himself in his secret identity. The Scouts all followed his gaze as they looked up and saw some ripples appearing in the sky. The magical girls' eyes widened as they saw a small insect-shaped object fly out of the portal and fly straight at Kabuto.

"Hyper Zector!" Sailor Moon cried

Sailor Uranus immediately guessed what the object was as it flew closer. She recalled it pretty well at Tokyo Tower when Hakabuto had used it to help defeat the other Deathbuster who was stealing hearts. Her eyes narrowed as she knew that it would boost Kabuto's already intimidating power.

"No you don't!" she cried loudly. "_Uranus World Shaking!_"

She fired the yellow orb of magical energy straight at the Hyper Zector which had yet to reach the one who called it. Her aim was true as the attack collided with the small piece if machinery. There was a loud blast on impact before the Hyper Zector exploded into a ball of flame.

"WHAT?!" Gatack cried.

"Hey!" Sailor Moon shouted angrily.

"Whew," Eudial sighed in relief. She didn't know what that machine was, but she got the bad feeling that it wasn't going to be an enjoyable experience if Kabuto had gotten his hands on it.

Kabuto himself merely turned to look at the Scout which had attacked the Hyper Zector. He didn't seem too concerned about it, just like he had been given a slight inconvenience. Uranus only had a pleased grin on her face when she destroyed the piece of equipment. Neptune was somewhat surprised that her partner had managed to not only eliminate the threat, but the fact that Kabuto didn't really seem to care.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about that damned Hyper Form now," Uranus smiled. Whether it was for making progress in their mission or just making a jab at the Riders, even she wasn't sure.

Kabuto reached up to the sky again with his fingers pointing to the sky. At first nothing seemed to happen and Uranus was sure Kabuto was in denial, but that was before green energy crackled in his hand. It flashed brightly before the Hyper Zector reappeared in his hand, looking as good as new. The Scouts all gasped in shock while Gatack began feeling a measure of relief that one of their strongest weapons was okay. Uranus' eyes had widened to the size comparable to UFO's and her mouth hung wide open from the shock she had been dealt. Eudial began getting that bad feeling in her gut again. Acting quickly, Kabuto snapped it onto the left side of his belt.

"Hyper Cast Off," Kabuto spoke before pressing the horn down. The Zector's words replied, "HYPER CAST OFF!"

Energy ripped through Kabuto's body as his armor began to change. His shoulder plates bulked up and turned silver while red armor traveled down his arms. His chestplate grew while it turned silver with a red image of his horn in the middle, His back armor turned to match the abdomen of a beetle. His helmet turned mostly silver while his red horn grew larger and his visor turned green.

"CHANGE HYPER BEETLE!"

Mini-Moon's eyes went wide and then sparkled before Kabuto gazed at the Outers, his eyes upon Uranus.

"H-How?" Uranus stuttered, gaping at Kabuto who was now in Hyper Form. "I destroyed that thing! How did it come back!?"

Kabuto merely quoted, "Grandmother said this; my evolution is faster than the speed of the light. There is nothing in the whole universe that can keep up with my evolution." He then pointed at Uranus, "Not even you." He then turned to regard the Daimon and flicked his wrist. It was battle time.

Uranus growled in anger. Her efforts had been a waste. No matter how many times she would destroy that Hyper Zector, it would still keep coming back! Neptune looked concerned at her beloved as another blow seemed to have been inflicted to her ego.

Eudial almost trembled as she felt the raw power coming off Hyper Kabuto. Was this what Kaolinite felt when she faced Hyper Hakabuto? Eudial wasn't sure and she didn't want to find out what a finisher attack from one of the Hyper Riders felt like. Hearing of what had happened to Kaolinite was more than enough for her.

"Chagama!" a slightly unnerved Eudial barked. "What are you waiting for?! Take him down!"

"Uh...right!" Chagama nodded before turning her attention to Hyper Kabuto.

Kabuto didn't make any real movement save for holding out his arm in a grasping motion. A loud echoing sound went through the air as another rippling wave appeared to the side. No one dared get near it until they saw a yellow and red sword shoot out of a portal and straight into Kabuto's hands. The collected Scouts gasped as they saw it, all for different reasons.

"Wow!" Sailor Moon cried in shock.

"The legendary sword!" Mini-Moon gasped, the sparkles in her eyes growing bigger.

Uranus and Neptune were having their own reactions to the appearance of that sword. Uranus fought the urge to growl at the appearance of the weapon. It meant to her that the Rider was even more powerful than what she had seen Hakabuto to be. Naptune however, was gaping much like her beloved was a moment ago.

"Uranus," she whispered softly. "That sword. I...I'm feeling an incredible power coming from it."

"I know," Uranus growled. "Now Kabuto's even stronger!"

"No," Neptune insisted. "It is unique. I can only think of one thing that can give of this much power."

Uranus's eyes widened as she turned to her partner," Are you sure? It doesn't look like that."

"Perhaps, Neptune replied, "but we weren't told what the details of that would be. We were just told the general appearance."

"Great," Uranus growled as she turned her attention back o the battle. "We find one of them but it's in the hands of a Rider."

Kabuto held out the Perfect Zector with his usual confidence as he prepared to unleash it on his opponent. Looking to the hilt of the weapon, there were four buttons on it; one red, one yellow, one purple, and one blue. Reaching to them, he pressed the red one.

"KABUTO POWER!" the Perfect Zector called as it began to power up.

Kabuto took hold of the weapon and held it much like a regular sword. His eyes were trained on Chagama much like a predator would be when ready to unleash the final strike on its prey.

"That won't save you!" Chagama screeched as she flew at Hyper Kabuto with her toxic tea at the ready.

Kabuto then pressed an additional button, a trigger, on the hilt. "HYPER BLADE!" the Perfect Zector roared as the energy reach critical.

"Raaaaah!" Chagame screeched, preparing to strike Hyper Kabuto down.

"HAH!!" Hyper Kabuto roared as he slashed at his Daimon opponent.

There was a crimson wave of energy as the collected power in the sword was unleashed in one swing. It was a sight which would have blinded someone if they didn't cover their eyes. Fortunately, everyone who didn't have Rider visors did so. The blast was huge and Chagama couldn't avoid it in time even if she wanted to.

"EEEEEEYYYYAAAAHHHHHH!!" Chagama screeched before she was consumed by the strike. Her silhouette was seen before it vanished. As the energy died down, a tea ceremony pot fell to the ground with a loud ring. A black Daimon seed fell from the iron piece and shattered to release a black phantom. However, instead of looking sinister, this one looked like it was writhing in pain before it vanished.

"Oh, well," Eudial sighed as she shut down her camera. "I got something. See ya!"

The member of the Witches 5 leaped into her car and sped out of the property like a madwoman. Then again, she always drove like that. All was quiet as everyone took in the sheer brutality of the power that Kabuto unleashed on the former Daimon. It was so quiet one could hear the cicada's chirping.

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Mini-Moon cried joyfully as she dashed over to Hyper Kabuto. "I've never seen you use that before!"

"Yeah!" Sailor Moon cried as she and Gatack came to Hyper Kabuto. "I didn't know you could do something like that!"

As the two Scouts fawned over Kabuto's power, Uranus and Neptune hung back as they got Tamasaburou to a safer spot.

"We have to get that sword," Uranus spoke grimly.

"Are you sure we have to?" asked Neptune. "Kabuto is powerful enough. He might be able to protect it on his own."

"Too risky," Uranus replied. "Who knows what he does with it. It's our duty to find the talismans and we have to protect them at all costs."

Neptune nodded silently. Of course, right now she was feeling a larger amount of fear than what she did when they started their mission. It was always dangerous to fight against the Daimon, but at least they could be defeated. The Riders however, they had yet to be beaten and they were so much more powerful that the Scouts were. How could they hope to take something away from them?

Taking one last look at the Riders and Scouts, Uranus and Neptune left in a single leap.

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"Okay!" Rini cheered as she walked back to Tamasaburou's house in Serena's kimono. "I'll be Tendou's apprentice for sure this time!"

It had been a day since Tamasaburou had been attacked. Luna had reported the Perfect Zector to the other Scouts and they were all amazed at what it was capable of even at only 1/4 of its total power. Of course, it hadn't stopped Rini from going at another attempt to get close to Tendou and his student. Her determination only got larger since she found out Tendou was a Rider.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Rini?" Serena asked as she followed the younger girl.

"Of course!" Rini replied quickly. "A chance to get close to one of the Big Three? I'll do it!"

They rounded the corner and saw Tamasaburou's house down the street. However, their gaze was turned by the sight of Tendou walking away from the house with normal clothes on and his hands in his pockets.

"Tendou!" Rini smiled brightly as she ran up to the older man.

"Hello, Rini," Tendou smiled as he saw her running up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Um," Rini mumbled, suddenly becoming shy. "I was hoping...I was hoping to become your student in learning the tea ceremony."

Tendou closed his eyes as he seemed to think about the request. After a moment he sighed before he began to reply, "I'm not in the tea ceremony business anymore. My only student has decided to pursue other things for the time being."

"Huh?" Rini and Serena blinked curiously at the statement.

Tendou simply pointed to Tamasaburou's house as a reply. The two girls walked to the house and dared to peek inside at what they were supposed to see. They both froze instantly at what they saw.

"Warrior faster than the winds! Chosen to walk the path of the hero! Kamen Rider Tamasaburou!"

The calm boy they had met yesterday was all dressed up in something that slightly resembled the Kamen Riders. He was in a green bodysuit with some white body armor over his chest and was wearing white gloves and boots. His helmet had a slight insect appearance and a red scarf was wrapped around his neck.

Rini and Serena didn't say anything. They just calmly turned around and began walking away from the house, right behind Tendou.

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Deep in the confines of their base, Professor Tomoe and the Witches 5 were hard a work over an unsightly contraption which was being given the finishing touches before they would attempt to try it. Eudial was at a computer console, tapping commands into the mainframe in preparation. Professor Tomoe himself was finishing with some wiring.

"You have done well, Eudial," he smiled sinisterly. "You have given us a better insight into this Hyper Form that the Riders are capable of."

"All in the name of our goal, Professor," Eudial replied with a sweet smile on her face.

"Of course," the Professor nodded. "Are we prepared?"

"Yes," Eudial nodded as she tapped in the final commands. "The others just cleared the room."

"Good," the Professor nodded. "If this experiment succeeds, then we shall have made out first step in dealing with these...Kamen Riders."

"Starting now!" Eudial called as she started the machine up.

The great mess of metal and wires hummed to life as energy crackled between sections of it. Lights shone dimly before brightening. The noises grew louder as more energy was pumped into the machine. The Witches 5 watched from all sides of the room as the Professor himself watched calmly from his seat.

"Everything is going well," Eudial reported. "We only need a little more."

Suddenly, several of the wires broke free in small bursts of flame. The professor's grin instantly faded. The humming grew louder as more energy crackled between the parts. More wires broke free as power gauges shattered from the overflow. Light was collecting in the middle of the tangled mass. Eudial was tapping away at the console trying to get it to shut down, but nothing was happening beyond increased power being generated.

"It's going critical!" she cried. "Hit the dirt!"

Everyone in the room did just that as the machine became engulfed in light before it exploded in a flash of light, heat, and noise. The shockwave trashed all the computers and the lights were shattered from the impact. Smoke wafted through the air as the collected scientists slowly began to get themselves back on their feet.

"Hrrrrr," a dark voice growled in the centre of the disaster.

"What was that?" Professor Tomoe asked with a cough.

Everyone looked to the center of the disaster and began to notice something right off the bat. In the centre of the disaster and destroyed machinery, a large pair of yellow soulless eyes stared unblinkingly back at Eudial and the Professor.

"What the-?!" Eudial gasped.

The owner of the yellow eyes continued to growl before a dark voice echoed through the room.

"Ka...bu...to…" was all the creature uttered.

It then unleashed a devastating scream which echoed throughout the base and sent shivers down even the Professor's spine.

To Be Continued...

Whew! i think this is the longest chapter yet! My thanks goes out to my readers for being patient with me and to ZK Chromedragooid for helping out and beta reading. I really appreciae it! Oh, on a minor note, I bet you can figure out who the Deathbusters have summoned.


	18. The Steeds of the Riders

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto nor do I own Sailor Moon. They belong to their respective creators. Enough said.

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced paladin

Chapter 17: The Steeds of the Riders. Lita's Battle of Love.

Sailor Jupiter was punched hard across the face by the creature she was fighting. It was an incredibly powerful enemy which she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to defeat.

The creature was roughly humanoid but was all black. It looked as if it was made of shadows. There were red designs marked all over its body and it had sick yellow eyes which poured of evil. Atop its head was an axe-like horn which looked just as deadly as the rest of it.

Struggling to stand, Sailor Jupiter tried to fight back. She wouldn't go down without a fight.

"CLOCK OVER!"

A golden blur appeared before knocking the enemy back several paces. Jupiter's eyes widened as she found herself looking at her personal knight in shining armor and the guy she was crazy about, Hakabuto in his Rider Form.

"Are you okay?" he asked, seeing Jupiter's wounds.

"I'm fine," Jupiter replied. "Be careful. He's stronger than he looks."

"No worries," Hakabuto nodded before he turned to face his opponent.

The enemy roared and charged at Hakabuto. The gold Rider took a slight stance before he charged. Just as he was about to strike the enemy, it vanished in a dark haze. Hakabuto stopped slightly to see what had happened when the enemy reappeared behind him and kneed him in the back.

"AGH!" he cried it pain.

"KIRA!" Jupiter cried.

Hakabuto tried to get back in the fight but the enemy didn't give him the chance. He pounded away at the gold Rider with no mercy. With every hit he scored, the larger he grew. Soon, he was big enough to grasp the gold Rider in his hands. The yellow eyes narrowed in glee before electricity surged into Hakabuto's body.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" He cried in undiluted torment.

"NOOOOO!!!" Jupiter cried as tears began to spill down her cheeks,

The light show continued for only a short time before Hakabuto's armor malfunctioned and exploded, taking the one who wielded it to the next life!

"KIRA!!!" Jupiter screamed losing the strength in her legs.

BRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!

"No!" Lita cried, sitting up quickly. She struggled to catch her breath as she wiped away tears which had leaked out while she slept.

Lita's heart ached horribly. The fear of losing the boy who instilled such strong feelings really scared her. She managed to catch her breath but it didn't stop her from hugging her knees as she felt the fear still aching in her heart. She could remember this fear since she felt it for quite some time. She had felt it for a while after she was orphaned. It was the fear of losing the people close to her. Gradually, that fear had vanished after she became Sailor Jupiter, met the others, and met her current boyfriend. Unfortunately, that nightmare reminded her that the fear was still there. Lita knew that there was only one way to make sure that fear never came true.

"I have to get stronger," she mumbled to herself. "I won't fail him like that."

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"Okay, Kamemaru, why did you call me here?" Kagami asked his fellow Rider who was currently leading him into a garage.

"Well, the others are really busy. New Guy doesn't have enough experience, Tsurugi is busy enjoying the high class life, Daisuke is currently on active leave and his replacement is still new, Kageyama and Yagurama are currently AWOL and Tendou…" Kamemaru trailed off, "And you are the only Zect operative here."

"So, what's this about, you sounded urgent," Kagami pressed.

"Let's just say I've been working on a project that will let us Riders live up to our name," Kamemaru said to him.

"Huh?" Kagami quirked an eyebrow.

Kamemaru turned on the lights and Kagami's eyes widened at the 8 bikes in front of them.

"You…?" Kagami began.

"I went and got some old bikes from the junkyard and have been repairing them. Used a lot of money for spare parts. I'm not done yet, so I need your help. There are some things I need before I finish and I think you can help me with that."

"Okay…"

"Granted, they won't be as advanced as our old bikes, but they will have some special features built into them once we transform."

"When do we get started?"

"How about now?" Kamemaru threw Kagami a mechanic's jumpsuit. "All they need is some more elbow grease and a bit of teamwork."

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Serena just stepped outside her house to get the mail. Luna was right on her heels. When she retrieved it, she found there wasn't much that was delivered. All that was in the mailbox was a single postcard that was addressed to her.

"Huh?" Serena blinked in sight confusion. "A postcard for me? Who's it from?"

She turned to the writing on the back and read over the handwriting. After a couple of moments, she finished reading the words written out to her.

"Hmm," Serena blinked. "Lita's gone to a temple for training. I wondered where she went."

"So you did notice she was missing," Luna sighed. "Well, it's good to know that she's okay. A little training wouldn't hurt her."

"Yeah, yeah," Serena sighed. She then turned the postcard over to the picture side and took a look at it. The second she saw it, she recognized it. "AH!!! The temple where Lita's training at is near where Darien's working!"

About a week ago, Darien had managed to snag a job at a well-known resort. Serena was envious of him for being able to hang out at such a nice place. It confidently left her mind that he was actually working, but no one seemed to correct her. He had called now and then, but Serena would have preferred to be there with him.

As Luna watched Serena overcome her shock at this sudden revelation, she saw a questionable gleam enter her young charge's eyes. It was one that she had come to know since she had entered Serena's life.

"Eh he he he he he he," Serena giggled impishly. "I'm such a lucky girl!"

"Huh?" Luna blinked. "Serena, what are you-?"

"Can't talk now, Luna!" Serena sang happily. She was skipping towards her house. "I've got a lot of phone calls to make! I have to let everyone know!"

"Phone calls?" Luna blinked in confusion. "Serena! What are you talking about?"

Luna dashed after her charge as she tried to get some answers out of her. Knowing Serena though, it would be something that the feline advisor would not like to hear about.

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Within the dark confines of the base where the Deathbusters did their operations, Professor Tomoe was reading over data which he had received recently from his new 'guest' who had arrived when the Professor and the Witches 5 had tried an experiment in copying the Rider technology.

"RAAAAAHHHHGHH!!" an enraged roar echoed through the halls. The Professor liked that rage. It would be an excellent source of power against the other Riders if they could harness it. In the meantime, they were learning much from their guest.

His musing was cut short as he decided to call Eudial and see how things were going. Despite the new data they were getting, they still had a job to do. Gripping the phone, he dialed in the number and let it ring for a moment.

(Split Screen Effect Here)

"Hello?" Eudial asked pleasantly, despite the loud crash which echoed in the background.

"Hello, Eudial," The Professor answered. "How is our guest?"

"He just wiped out the Daimon we tested him against," Eudial replied. "Our guess was correct. He does have all the abilities the other Riders possess. He is even able to recall his outer armor in something we noticed was called a 'Put On' system."

"Very interesting," The Professor nodded. "However, I am calling in regards to our mission. Have you selected our next target?"

"Of course," Eudial smiled.

"Nothing less from you," The Professor smiled. "Who is it?"

Eudial smiled as she tapped at her computer. After tapping a few keys, she brought up a picture of the target. It was of a bald man who looked to be in the prime of his life. He was also wearing a martial arts gi, "He is a Nichiren school monk by the name of Yakushiji Kakusui. He's been training in the mountains for the last four months. His heart is one of the purest we have found."

"Excellent," The Professor grinned.

"If I may ask, Profesor," Eudial spoke up. "What do the talismans look like anyway?"

"Should there be a talisman inside a pure heart, it will take the form of a divine object," The Professor replied. "Either a mirror, an orb, or a sword."

Eudial suddenly froze, "A-a sword?"

"Is something wrong?" The Professor asked.

"Well," Eudial frowned, biting the end of a pencil she kept tucked in her ear. "Did you see my recording of the last encounter with the Riders?"

"I did," The Professor nodded. "If what you are worried about is that sword that Kabuto wielded, I think it deserves inspection. However, let's not jump the gun. We will continue our search."

"Very well," Eudial nodded.

"Good. Don't screw up," The Professor warned before hanging up.

Eudial hung up the phone and returned to her computer. Tapping away at it, she brought up the program which allowed the machines to create new Daimon. Pressing the enter key, she left the terminal while the computer booted the machine up.

Inside the containment chamber was a small darumah doll which was almost ball-shaped and had beady eyes and large eyebrows. The chamber shut tightly as the large mechanisms brought a vial filled with red liquid and a Daimon seed over the large machine. When the vial was secure, the contents of thee vial were injected into the chamber. Soon, pink smoke began to seep from the seams in the machine as the Daimon came to life.

"DARUMAH!!" came the voice of the Daimon being born.

As the process was completed, Eudial waited at the end of a conveyer belt which loaded the box which was holding her Daimon into her mini-van. She quickly entered and let the docking machines carry her and her vehicle to one of the many exits. As the platform came to a rest and the door opened, Eudial hit the gas and charged forward. She ended up coming out of one of the rivers which kept the rain from flooding the city. She hit dry land on some train tracks and began speeding in the direction of the target.

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"Yo!" Yagami called as he found his way to Kamemaru's apparently new workshop. When he had gotten it, the young Rider wasn't sure. All he knew was that the wielder of the Zabee Zector was having Kagami coming over to help at all hours of the day. Kagami had called earlier telling the Hakabuto Zector wielding Rider to come over to the garage for something that he might find interesting.

"Hey, New Guy," he heard Kamemaru's voice greet from the darkened garage. "Hold on a sec and wait right there! You're going to love this!"

"How can I love anything if I can't see it?" Yagami sighed.

"Trust us," Kagami laughed from the darkness. "You're going to love this!"

Yagami shook his head and let himself stand at the door to the garage. He could his two sempai running around in the back. He could also hear them moving something. Yagami's eyes weren't adjusted to the dark so he couldn't see just what they were doing. He did hear Kagami trip up every now and then though. Eventually, the noises stopped and all went silent again. Yagami began to feel slightly uncomfortable at the silence until a loud click echoed through the area before light flooded his sight. When he finally got adjusted to the sudden change, his jaw dropped.

What he found himself looking at was several motorcycles which looked brand new. Each of them looked ready for street racing. They also looked like they could win against just about everybody. Each one was streamlined and looked like they would just cut through the air like nothing.

"Where did you get these things?" Yagami finally asked.

"Got them cheap from the scrap yard," Kamamaru snickered, letting his hand rest on a bike which had been given a paint job which was black and yellow.

"The rest we managed to put together ourselves," Kagami laughed, sitting on a blue and yellow bike of his own.

Yagami just let his eyes wander each f the machines. They all seemed to be the same model, save for their color schemes. Red and silver, green and gold, purple and orange, etc. He walked past all of them until his eyes landed on one at the back. This one was the same model as all the others, but it had an original color scheme; yellow and silver. He blinked at the machine for a few moments before turning back to the other machines. He counted them all until he came up with the number eight.

"No way," he finally spoke. "You didn't."

"We did," Kamemaru laughed.

"Can't really call ourselves 'Kamen Riders' without something to ride on." Kagami grinned.

"Looks like the dirt biking back home will come in handy," Yagami smirked. "I can't wait to show Lita."

"Hope she likes guys who own motorcycles," Kagami snickered.

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Serena had already called the girls and they were in her room. She had them come to tell them about the news.

"Are you serious, Serena?" Mina asked.

"Yup," Serena said cheerfully. "I even know this great place where we can stay while we cheer Lita on!"

Raye quirked an eyebrow, "And there isn't any kind of benefit for you?" She took a sip of her juice.

"Of course not!" Serena snapped, trying to look convincing.

"But it does look beautiful," Amy said as she admired the postcard. "So, Lita's there too?"

"For training," Luna said sternly. "Like you all should be."

"But Luna…" Serena whined but then she heard something outside her window. "Huh?"

"What is it Serena?" Amy asked as the blonde girl with pigtails got up to her window. She then looked out to the street. Her eyes widened at what she saw. "Wow!"

"What is it?" Mina said as she got up to see.

"Let me see!" Raye got up to join them.

"Who is that?" Mina asked, pointing.

"My word, what a magnificent machine!" Amy exclaimed.

The girls were looking at a mysterious helmet wearing man riding upon a magnificent looking yellow and silver motorbike. He was also wearing a black jacket with an emblem that looked like an insect on his left sleeve. A Hercules beetle if they were looking at it right. His helmet matched his bike and had a black visor. This mystery-boy then un-strapped his helmet and pulled it off to reveal who he was.

"KIRA!?" the 4 girls exclaimed as their Kamen Rider friend waved.

"Hey, girls!" the young Rider waved. The girls then rushed out of Serena's room, ran down the stairs and scrambled out the door to meet him. The young Rider could hear their mad scramble to the door from all the way where he was. All four girls burst from the door and dashed over to Yagami as he waited.

"Kira, is this yours?" Serena asked as she looked over the vehicle.

"Yup, got it this morning," Yagami told her.

"Where did you get it?" Mina asked, eyes gleaming. She was becoming slightly envious of Lita right now.

"Oh, Kamemaru and Kagami made them," Yagami said. "Can't call ourselves Riders if we don't have rides, can we?"

"This is simply magnificent," Amy admired.

"Wait, did you say 'them'?" Raye asked. "As in more?"

"Well, Kamemaru started the project, really," Yagami explained. "Kagami just helped with the finishing touches. Anyway, I went to your temple, Raye, and your grandpa said you were here, so I came to show you girls my new ride." He looked around. "Where's Lita?"

The girls all blinked.

"She…didn't tell you?" Serena asked.

"Tell me what?" Kira asked and then Serena showed him the postcard. His eyes widened when he saw what was written on it. "EH?! Training?! Why didn't she tell me?"

"I dunno," Serena shrugged. "We were all going to go see her. Oh! Maybe you can come too!"

"Uh…I don't want to bother her," Yagami frowned slightly. If Lita was in training then he didn't want to distract her.

"Nonsense!" Mina quickly spoke up, gabbing Yagami's attention. "You are her loving boyfriend and she would definitely appreciate you coming out to cheer her on! I know I would, especially if he had a cool ride like yours!"

"Well…" Yagami pondered.

"Oh, it'll be fun," Raye smiled. "Serena even found a great resort so you and Lita can hang out at the pool after she finishes training. Just imagine it; a poolside date with the both of you just relaxing and enjoying each others company."

This only got Yagami thinking about what Lita would look like in a bathing suit. Quickly smashing that particular thought down, he went back to the conversation.

"Okay, I'll go," he sighed in mock-defeat. "Where is this place anyway?"

-----------------------------------------------**Later**-----------------------------------------------------

A train was heading out to the area where Lita had gone to get her training done. On board were the four young women who on occasion changed into the Sailor Scouts. They were in seats that faced each other and all of them had gotten food trays to fill themselves up with. Of course, Serena was gobbling it up at an almost frantic pace. Mina, who was sitting beside her, could only watch with a sweatdrop while she leaned back to avoid getting hit by flying food.

"Would you slow down already?" Raye sighed tiredly as she watched Serena eat. "You're going to choke if you keep going like that!"

"But it's so good!" Serena smiled with a mouth full of food. "I just love to travel!"

Near the girl's feet were two backpacks which Serena and Mina had brought with them. The red one belonged to Serena while the blue one belonged to Mina. Both packs suddenly shook and out popped Luna and Artemis from their respective charges packs.

"Serena," Luna sighed. "I'm hungry. Can't you spare anything?"

"Yeah," agreed Artemis. "Spread the wealth a little, will ya?"

"Okay," both blonde girls sighed. They reached to their lunches and pulled out some shrimp tails and tossed them to their moon cats. Luna and Artemis both gobbled up the bits of food quite happily.

"So how did you keep Rini from coming along?" Raye asked curiously.

"Oh, I just exorcised my own future motherly instincts," Serena smiled proudly. "She seemed satisfied with my reasoning."

-----------------------------------------------**Juuban**---------------------------------------------------

"I don't believe this!" Rini cried as she stared at the back door to the Tsukino household. "She said she was going to the bathroom and then ditched me!"

Rini was all packed and ready to go with the others, but Serena had went for a potty break at the last minute. Rini had been waiting for a while before she decided to check on what was taking so long. What she found was an empty bathroom and an open back door.

"Ooohh!" Rini growled. "I'll never forgive her for this!"

---------------------------------------------------**Train**-------------------------------------------------

"Do you think Kira will be able to find us?" Amy asked with some concern. "We are the ones who know where Lita is training."

Raye looked out the window for a moment before a small grin broke out on her face, "Oh, I think he'll catch up pretty quick."

The other three girls turned to see where Raye was looking and smiles erupted all around. They could see the road in the distance, and sure enough their friend was riding alongside the path of the train on his new motorcycle.

"He really caught up, didn't he?" Raye said, impressed.

"Well, he wouldn't be known as one of the God Speed Warriors if he couldn't, could he?" Mina reasoned.

"Such an amazing vehicle," Amy watched on.

Onboard his bike, Yagami was thinking of why Lita didn't tell him about her training trip. He could've at least left a message or something for him. Didn't she trust him? He shook his head and focused his eyes on the road and followed the train towards its destination. He needed to talk to her.

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The train arrived on schedule and the girls unloaded before quickly reloading onto a bus Yagami stuck behind them every step of the way. The road led them into a place littered with trees and other very picturesque scenery. The bus finally came to a stop, letting the girls get off. Yagami pulled up next to them and put his bike into park before removing his helmet.

"Whew," he sighed. "Nice to breathe normally again,"

"I can't believe you actually managed to keep up with us," Mina smiled. "The guy who made those bikes must be a master."

"Well, can't say Kamemaru isn't creative," Yagami grinned. He then turned to Serena, who looked a little excited about something. "So where is this place you found that we could stay at?"

"Oh," Serena smiled. She then pointed up the road towards a large white building which looked incredible. "Right there! We can stay there."

"Wow!" Mina smiled. "It looks so nice!"

"Not bad," Yagami agreed.

"Seems a bit of a walk from the temple," Raye frowned. "Aren't we here to help Lita?"

"It doesn't matter where we sleep," Serena explained rationally. "As long as we can help Lita then does it matter where we spend out nights?"

"You sure you're Serena?" asked Yagami, earning a small glare from the bubbly girl. "That sounded way to mature for you."

"I don't mind as long as we have a proper place to study," Amy spoke, being the vice of maturity and reason.

"Great!" Serena chirped happily. "Let's go!"

"STOP!" Luna's voice came from Serena's backpack, earning everyone's attention. "Don't fall for Serena's little plan. Darien is working up at that hotel."

"WHAT?!" the three young women and one young man frowned in shock.

"So all that about helping Lita out…" Raye spoke.

"About wanting to study…" Ami added.

"Was it all a lie?" Mina huffed.

"Just to go see Darien at a luxury hotel?" asked Yagami.

"N-n-now hold on," Serena stuttered nervously. The dark stares were beginning to freak her out. "I really was serious about all that. I just figured that this was also a trip, we could have a little bit of fun too."

"That does it," Raye huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're going to the temple like we originally planned."

The decision seemed unanimous with everyone as they began walking up the hill. Yagami had even biked slowly after them as to keep up. Serena watched them go before sighing in defeat. Sometimes even her best plans ended up being a flop. Life wasn't fair sometimes.

Serena's complaints only worsened when they actually got to the temple. After Yagami chained his bike to a tree, they began their long trek up the steps of the temple. At first it didn't seem so bad, but after a while, it started really wearing them down.

"Just how long are these stairs?" Serena whined.

"Compared to the Hikawa Shrine?" answered Amy. "About fifty-two times as long."

"Awwwww," Serena whined. "This is killing me!"

"I agree," Yagami frowned. "Just getting up these stairs is training."

The ridiculously long climb finally ended when they reached the Tori gate at the top of the stairs. All five travelers were gasping for breath as they met their feline friends at the top of the stairs. As they finally got to the top of the stairs, they reached an unspoken decision to take a breather. They wouldn't be much help to Lita if they were too wiped to do anything.

"Hyah! Ha! Hiyah!" a female voice cried.

Everyone's attention turned to the source and saw a very familiar brunette. She was dancing around a roped up tree while planting blows on it. Just seeing her was enough to bring smiles to the travelers' faces, one more so than the others.

"Lita/Lita-chan!" the all cried, catching the girl's question.

Lita instantly froze as she turned to see who had been calling her name. A smile broke out on her face as she recognized her friends, but she froze when she noticed that her boyfriend was there alongside them

'_Ack!_' she thought in embarrassment while stepping over to her friends, albeit reluctantly when it came to Kira. '_Ohh! I look like a wreck! I can't believe Kira is seeing me like this. I probably look gross to him in my gi and sweating. He's even dressed in that cool leather jacket too!_'

Yagami's thoughts were much different, contrasting even. He was thinking, '_Wow, Lita looks great in that gi. The sweat is even making her skin glisten and that gi is sticking to her skin too_.' He could make out her figure. '_Wow…_' He liked what he was seeing. He was planning of having a talk with her about leaving unannounced before taking her out on a nice romantic bike ride.

"You know," Raye frowned slightly. "It wasn't very nice of you to just leave without telling us."

"Yeah!" Serena nodded. "You didn't even tell Kira and he has this awesome surprise to show you!"

Yagami suddenly blanched. He had hoped to pounce that on her himself, but Serena was coming dangerously close to doing that herself. He was about to try and get her to be quiet about that when Mina had decided to put her two cents in.

"We're here to help you train!" Mina smiled. "So we'll help in any way we can!"

"Aww, guys," Lita smiled. "Thanks."

As the girls were ready to start talking again, they heard someone running up the stairs. Everyone turned to see who was coming and saw someone quickly approaching. He was wearing a very worn out martial arts gi and was completely bald. He was running at an even pace and didn't seem to notice that anyone was at the top of the stairs. Just as it seemed that he was about to run into them, he crouched low before making an amazing leap right over the girls and single boy before landing on the opposite side and running deeper onto the temple grounds.

"Holy cow!" Yagami gaped.

"Woah!" Serena cried in shock.

"Pretty cool, isn't he?" Lita smiled, seeing the shock in her friends' faces. "He actually does 50 laps around these mountains everyday!"

"No way!" Raye gaped.

"I'm not kidding!" Lita insisted. "He really does!"

"Wow Lita, it sounds like you really respect that guy," Serena smiled. A gleam then came into her eyes. "He's pretty easy on the eyes too. Is he why you came all the way out here?"

"What?!" Lita gasped while getting flushed again. "N-no way! It's not like that!"

Lita could see that her friends for the most part didn't seem all that convinced. Seeking a quick way out, she just turned to the direction the monk had taken and began jogging, "W-well, I gotta get going. I still have more training to do!"

She then made a quick break for it and dashed deeper into the temple grounds. As she was running, Yagami watched her go. For some reason, he began to feel slightly uneasy. For the life of him though, he couldn't put his finger on a definite reason why. He didn't like it though.

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Lita followed the martial arts monk on his jogging path. He had a pretty long route and the sun was beginning to set by the time she caught up with him. He was at a small waterfall, standing underneath one o the smaller falls in meditation. Lita only watched him for a few moments. He looked so serious in his art. Deciding that she would need to show equal commitment, she stepped into the water, wincing as the shock of the cold water hit her.

"Brr," she shivered. "It's summer and the water is this cold?"

Pushing the biting cold aside, Lita walked up to the martial arts monk and planted herself in front of him, "Please, let me join you!"

She didn't get an answer. His eyes didn't even open to show he had even heard her. Lita waited for an answer, but soon decided to go for it anyway and planted herself underneath another small waterfall. It seemed that she was going to hold the position for a while, but she soon started fidgeting with a grimace on her face. Ina single cry, she leaped from the waterfall.

"Ooh! I can't do it!" She then turned back to the monk who was as still as a statue underneath the freezing water. "How can I be more like you, Mr. Kakusui?"

She didn't receive an answer, so she decided to continue, "It's just, I've been losing confidence in my abilities as a fighter. I know all these other powerful people, but they're so far above me it's a little scary. I just want to become strong enough to be considered a worthy partner."

Kakusui released the breath and stepped out of the waterfall. His gaze remained on Lita as she stepped back. He kept a silent gaze on her. Lita just considered it an invitation to continue her story.

"I just figured, that if I could reach a mental state like yours, then I could really become someone who could be a proper ally to those fighters," Lita continued.

Kausui just continued to look at Lita without a single word. Lita finally felt her temper beginning to rise as she wanted to at least hear some kind of acknowledgement from the man standing in front of her. Even of it was some kind of admonishment for her reasons.

"Why won't you say anything!?" she cried impatiently.

Kakusui finally began to move as he began to shiver and move his jaw stiffly "B-because the w-water was so cold my jaw w-went numb!"

The martial arts monk continued to shiver for a moment as he tried to get the feeling back into his body. He also sneezed as the temperature managed to catch up with him and made a quiet comment about catching a cold. The monk's sudden silliness made Lita break out into a small fit of giggles.

"Ah," Kakusui grinned. "Now a smile is much more suited for your face."

"Huh?" Lita blinked. A slight flush came to her face.

"So tell me," Kakusui spoke as he walked to the shore where he could warm up a little. "These fighters that you know, is that young man I saw earlier one of them?"

"Um," Lita blushed brightly. "Yes...yes he is."

"Ahh, so he's your boyfriend then," Kakusui nodded, getting Lita's blush to deepen. "Well, then my next guess would be that you want to become stronger so you can be a proper equal. Am I right?"

"Y-yes," Lita stuttered embarrassedly.

"Well then, you might have the key already," Kakusui smiled brightly. "In this big world we live in, people cannot live alone and without others indefinitely. Sometimes it is also good to relax so you can release excess power. Being with people you share deep feelings with is an excellent way to do so."

"R-really?" Lita blushed.

"Absolutely," Kakusui smiled. "I must say I haven't been able to try your method of relaxing. I think I'm a little envious."

"Mr. Kakusui!" Lita cried in blushing embarrassment.

As the teacher and student continued talking, they didn't notice the white mini-van parked atop the ridge. Inside, Eudial watched with a small smirk on her face. The target had been acquired.

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Night soon descended on the temple and everyone was given rooms for the night. The people who tended to the temple were more than happy to do this since they apparently didn't get guests all that often. Serena, Raye, Lita, Mina, and Amy were all given a room to share. Yagami got a room to himself next door. Inside their room, the girls had arranged their futons so that they were all facing each other. Lita, Raye, and Ami were seated side by side while Serena and Mina were opposite to them and next to each other.

"Say, Lita," Raye spoke up from the usual late night gossip girls sometimes had. "What made you come up here for training all of a sudden anyway?"

"Uh," Lita began, thinking about that nightmare she had which inspired her to come. She didn't want to worry her friends about anything. "Oh, no reason. I just figured some extra training would be nice."

"Well, why didn't you tell Kira?" asked Mina curiously. "I mean, not telling us is one thing, but if you can't tell even your boyfriend then it must be important. He seemed kind of hurt too."

Lita suddenly frowned sadly. She didn't mean to hurt anyone. Especially someone as precious to her as Yagami had become. The whole reason she was out here training was so that she could measure up as a real fighter like the Kamen Riders. Since they had arrived, most Daimon kills have been scored by them. Lita just wanted to be a good partner for Kira so she wouldn't be holding him back and get him hurt since he was so busy protecting her or something.

"You know," Raye spoke up again. "If you are really worried about something, then you can tell us."

"Yeah," Serena agreed. "It isn't good to keep your worries all bottled up. It's always better to let them out."

"Although," Raye smirked as she spoke up. "There IS something if the problem is like having nothing inside you like Serena."

"Oh?" Serena frowned, slowly getting a grip on her pillow. "Is that supposed to mean something, Raye? HAH!!"

Without warning, Serena sent her pillow sailing and it flew straight and true. It slammed right against Raye's face. The raven-haired young woman twitched slightly from the surprise attack before sending a death glare at Serena.

"So you wanna play rough, eh?" she frowned evilly. "Okay then, take THIS!"

Raye gripped both her own pillow and the one she was using and sent them both flying. Unfortunately, only one of them managed to hit Serena. The other one was off a little and instead of hitting the odango haired girl, it plowed right into Mina's face.

"Hey, leave me out of this!" the second blonde in the group growled as she hurled her own pillow in Raye's general direction. Unfortunately, her aim was off and the pillow hit Amy in the face. The bluenette hadn't seen it coming since she was so focused on the study book she had brought with her. She recovered fairly quickly, but looked less than pleased as she gripped the pillow which had hit her.

Soon, the room had erupted into a mass of flying pillows, shrieks, laughs, and giggles. The girls held nothing back as they creamed each other with pillows in attempts to become the pillow fight champion. At one point during the fight, the door to their room opened with a drowsy looking Yagami blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and an undershirt which he had brought along.

"What's all the no-UF!!" he gasped as one of the stray pillows creamed him in the face. The girls instantly stopped their fight as they saw that an innocent bystander had just become a casualty. Yagami only stood there for a moment before gripping the pillow and frowning as he took it into his hands.

"So you wanna play?" he snickered. "Okay, let's play! RIDER PILLOW SLAM!!"

Yagami then leaped into the fray with his weapon being swung in all directions. The cries of the girls continued. Only this time, it was to get rid of the male interloper who thought he could challenge their collective feminine might. The battle was on.

The night wore on and soon everyone was tired. They had all gone to their respective futons and soon almost everyone was asleep. Serena, Mina, and Raye had all been thrashing in their sleep and made their futons look like a mess. Amy was the only one who was still completely covered by her sheets. Lita, on the other hand, was not even in her futon. The tall brunette was actually standing outside while looking up at the moon.

'_They came all the way out here to help me,_' she smiled as she watched the night sky. '_Still, I want to get through this myself._'

"Yen for your thoughts?" a new voice spoke, shocking Lita out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she blinked as she turned to see who was talking. The source of the voice was none other than Yagami who was walking towards her with a small smile on his face. The Kamen Rider planted himself next to his girlfriend and turned to watch the night alongside her.

"I-its nothing," Lita muttered, feeling a little self-conscious all of a sudden. Yagami just continued to smile as he turned to look at his emerald-eyed girlfriend.

"If you say so. I won't pry," he shrugged. His smile then turned slightly mischievous. "But, I still think there's some payback due for you just leaving without telling anyone."

"Huh?" Lita blinked before Yagami made his move. She started blushing furiously when she felt his arms wrap around her and hold her tightly. She was slightly tense for a moment, not expecting the sudden hug, but soon she was leaning into him with her hands planted on his chest and head resting on his shoulder. She was finding herself melting into the embrace. "Mnnn…Sorry."

"Well, now I can forgive you," Yagami smiled as he gently rocked Lita while they stood in the cooling night air.

"I guess I was just a little afraid to say goodbye," Lita sighed into his shoulder. "Did I really hurt you?"

"Well, I was a little disappointed in not being able to show you a little surprise I just got," Yagami shrugged. "I was actually a little more concerned about something being wrong rather than being hurt about you not telling any one but Serena that you were leaving."

Lita looked him in the eye for a second before looking away in shame. He was just so caring. Did she even deserve him? "I…had my reasons."

"Can I know what they are?" he asked.

Silence. She wanted to, she really did, but could she mention the nightmare? Maybe not. So, she gave him an answer, though not the one he was looking for. She replied, "I needed…to get stronger."

Stronger? Wasn't she already strong? Yagami was now confused. So, he continued, "But, you're already so strong, Lita-chan. I mean, you're a Sailor Scout."

"And you're a Kamen Rider!" she suddenly said, startling him. She pulled away, holding herself. "I mean, you guys, you Riders, are amazing. You're able to move at God Speed, have powerful weapons, and you're able to take down Daimon on your own." She added, "As for me, I need the others' help." She finished, "I can't compete with you guys."

Yagami wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She gasped. He rested his head on her shoulder. "I never saw it as a competition."

"But you Riders are just so powerful…"

"Only in our armor." He chuckled, "Heck, I never even had any formal training. The armor's the one that has all the power, not me." He continued. "I'm not a real fighter, not like you."

"Kira…"

"How about this?" he offered. "I go training with you."

Turning around, Lita smiled. "I'd like that."

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The morning was foggy as the sun laminated everything on the temple grounds that it could reach. The mist that rose quickly afterwards, gave everything an almost mystic feeling to everything on the grounds. Inside the temple, Serena, Raye, Amy, and Mina were still sleeping contentedly. Well, that is until something came which managed to echo in their sleep riddled minds.

"Hyah!" two voices cried as one.

"Your stance is a little off, Kira-kun," spoke the female voice.

"Sorry," apologized the male one.

"Nothing to be sorry about, you're still new at this," said the female pleasantly.

"You're still light years ahead of me," muttered the male voice.

"You'll catch up. You just need practice," retorted the female.

"Maybe when Tendou shows humility. Speaking of which, at least he won't bother me about proper fighting technique," spoke the male voice.

"Won't he be surprised next time you guys fight," laughed the female.

"Nothing surprises Tendou," the male voice snorted in amusement.

"Oh, we'll find something that will," the female voice. "Now, ready for a spar?"

"As long as you don't mind beating up your boyfriend," the male voice laughed.

"Oh hush," the female voice sighed sarcastically.

The voices managed to make the girls stir as they began to slowly wake up. Amy was the first to stir as she was a naturally early riser since she preferred to get up early for school and other things connected to her studies. Blinking wearily, she sat up.

"Hmm?" she mumbled. She was a little confused at what was happening.

"Huh?" Raye groaned as she came out of her sleep. Her profession as a miko often called for being able to wake up properly at the wee hours of the morning. It didn't mean that she was fond of doing so though.

"Eh?" Mina snorted as the movements of her friends brought her out of her dreams of being queen of the Kamen Riders. Slightly disappointed, she tried to get her bearings straight.

"SNNNOOORRRREEEE!!" Serena continued to sleep as if nothing was happening.

"Wake up, meatball head," Raye sighed tiredly as she hurled a pillow at her friend.

"SNK!" Serena snorted before mumbling something incoherent. She then opened her eyes and tried to grasp her covers so she could bury herself in the bed again. This was not meant to be since Mina already tore her blanket away.

"Time to wake up Serena," Mina yawned.

"I don't wanna," Serena whined.

"Oh get up already," Raye frowned.

"Hyah!"

"Woah!"

"Hah!"

"Yah!"

"What is that?" asked Amy.

"I think it came from outside," Mina replied.

With their limbs still riddled with sleep, the four girls headed over to the door which exited to the yard of the temple. They were definitely not expecting what they were seeing.

They found themselves looking at Yagami and Lita sparring in the mist. Lita was donned in her karate outfit, but Yagami was wearing the pants he had on yesterday and a simple t-shirt. His jacket was resting on the porch near where the girls were watching.

Lita was moving through several movements which were all offense. Lita was moving with considerable skill. She obviously knew what she was doing, but she was moving a little slower than what she usually did. Of course, Yagami's performance may have had something to do with it. He obviously knew the movements, but was still new with them. His actions were slightly jerky. His reflexes allowed him to keep up, but it was obvious who was more skilled.

"Why's Lita sparring with Kira?" wondered Serena.

"Probably wanted to help her practice," Mina replied.

"Still, I don't think there's much we can do to help," Raye sighed. "Kamen Riders are way more physical than we are."

"Seems like it," Ami agreed.

The girls then shut the door so they could get ready for their day. Yagami and Lita would come in when they were ready. For now, they had other things to do at the moment. Namely getting ready for the day and having some breakfast.

Later...

"What is this?" Serena gaped incredulously.

The 5 girls and one boy were each seated at a small table which had the breakfast on it. Serena's main complaint was that it was so small. Yagami silently agreed. He had come in for something to eat and Lita decided to join him and their friends.

"It's called breakfast," Lita smiled. "The temple priests have the same thing everyday. It's what I've been eating for breakfast."

"Oooh!" Serena moaned. "I can't get any energy from this."

"I'm not complaining," Yagami sighed as he picked up his small bowl of rice. "So long as it's good food going into my stomach I'll be satisfied."

"It's also very healthy for your mind too," Amy spoke up.

"And didn't you say you wanted to lose weight anyway?" Raye smirked.

"This is the perfect chance for you," Mina smiled encouragingly.

"I don't care if I get fat," Serena mumbled sadly. "If I'm traveling then I at least want to eat something yummy."

While Serena continued to pout over not getting her usual large amounts of food, Luna and Artemis walked over to the collected Scouts and single Kamen Rider. They had eaten pretty well compared to on the train. Apparently the people tending to the temple were hosts to more animals rather than people.

"So, Lita," Luna spoke. "What kind of training are you going to do today?"

"Umm," Lita frowned slightly as she thought about her answer. "Well, usually I do katas and run a few laps in the woods with Mr. Kakusui."

No one noticed Yagami twitch slightly at the name. He also felt that cold feeling in his stomach return with a vengeance. Deciding it was nothing, he continued eating, trying to fill his stomach to a reasonable level.

"So why were you and Kira training this morning?" asked Amy curiously.

"Well, with all this talk about training, I figured maybe I should at least try out martial arts," Yagami replied. "It seemed like it might come in handy, even though Lita-chan is light years ahead of me."

"Now don't say that," Lita smiled. "Everyone has to start somewhere."

"So you're going to be training with Lita and that monk guy too?" asked Mina.

"I don't think I'm that tough enough to do that outside my armor just yet," Yagami sweatdropped.

"Well your modesty and determination are admirable," Luna nodded with a smile. "I'm sure your brother and cousin will appreciate your efforts."

"Tendou probably won't say much of anything while Kagami might end up teasing me saying it's an excuse to be alone with Lita-chan," Yagami mumbled, thinking of what his 'sempai' might say.

The girls remained silent as they gave thoughts about his words. They had all met Tendou and Kagami, but they also realized that there was definite teasing potential there. Before anyone could actually say anything in relation to teasing, Serena was already on her feet with a determined look on her face.

"Okay!" she grinned. "Since we're all up, let's go to the hotel to eat!"

A massive facefault was her reply.

"Do you ever think about anything besides food?!" Raye growled as she began to sit up.

"You don't have to be so mean about it," Serena whimpered as she backed away from her angry friend.

Raye just sighed as she sat back down. Serena was obviously not going to let go of going to the hotel until she actually did. She wanted to see Darien pretty badly. Now she wanted to eat some of the food that they served there too. If there was anything Serena loved as much as Darien, it was good food.

Kira, on the other hand, was trying to figure out something. The feeling he got when Lita talked about Mr. Kakusui, what was it? He wasn't entirely sure, but it was like an uncomfortable feeling inside him. He needed to talk to someone. He scanned the room. Lita was definitely out, it had to be someone else. Amy? Nah, she would just use too many terms he would not be able to understand this century. Raye? Maybe, but right now was it okay to talk to the firemancer of the team? Serena? Probably not since she was happy to be able to see Darien and he didn't want to bum her out. His eyes wandered to Mina. Nah, no way.

Then, he figured, he might as well join the others to meet Darien. Maybe he could talk this problem out with another guy.

"Maybe we should go and see how's Darien's doing," Yagami suggested. "Let's just say we were in the neighborhood."

"Kira, don't encourage Serena," Raye sighed.

"Yay, let's go!" the blonde odango haired girl cheered happily.

"Speaking of the hotel," Mina smiled as she turned to her backpack. She ruffled through it before bringing something out. "Ta-dah!"

Mina brought out a strapless one-piece bathing suit which was black and white with stripes. Everyone blinked at the sudden appearance. The moon cats were blinking with massive sweatdrops on their faces. Their faces etched in surprise only made a more comedic effect.

"Wow, you are prepared," Luna blinked.

"Actually," Raye spoke up, turning to her own bag. "I brought something too."

Raye produced a red swimsuit that could almost be called a two piece since the top and bottom were connected by a strip of material.

"I did too!" Serena smiled as she brought out a one piece with a small skirt and sunflowers printed on it.

Luna and Artemis both sighed in defeat with sweatdrops. Luna spoke up first, "I guess that Kira and Amy were the only ones who came solely for Lita."

"There's a pool?" Yagami blinked in shock. "Why didn't anyone tell me there was a pool?"

Amy just looked to the ground with some small guilt in her face. Shyly reaching into her lap, she brought up her own one piece which was red with white spots on it, "Actually, I kinda did too."

It was too much for the two cats. They both groaned out loud. Their groans were drowned out slightly by Lita's giggling. Everyone was slightly confused since a lot of people may not take the news of their plans the right way. Lita just continued to giggle much to everyone's confusion.

"I guess we're all a little guilty then," she smiled. "I brought one too just incase I finished my training with some time to spare."

The collected Scouts heaved a sigh of relief. Yagami had a brief flash of thought over what Lita might look like in a bathing suit like the other girls brought.

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Meanwhile, Eudial was observing their current target. At the same time, she was also looking over the date of their latest project.

At first, they had originally planned on duplicating the Rider technology via the data they had collected from Eudial's recordings. They had been helpful, but on the day they'd tried to first create it, something happened…and something came. Now, with an actual piece of the technology with them, they could set their sights on defeating those annoying Riders and the Scouts as well as claiming the Talismans, and it was all thanks to their surprise guest who was being kept back at their HQ. At present, they nearly had enough data to recreate the Rider technology, but there was still one important piece left of the puzzle and their guest wasn't exactly cooperative and willing to part with it. It was annoying, but they would eventually get it off him.

In the meantime, there were still the Talismans to find.

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As it turned out, there wasn't just one pool at the hotel, there were actually several. The girls had sat down at one of the tables sitting under the shade of an umbrella. Even Lita came when she remembered Kakusui's words about releasing pent up energy. She figured that would be helpful for her training in the long run. She was likewise donned in a green one-piece swimsuit that made her figure very clear. Yagami had to fight to keep from drooling or breaking into a nosebleed when he saw her for the first time in it. The young Rider was leaning back in his chair with his jeans on and his jacket held over his shoulder. He remained shirtless, much to Lita's delight.

Lita also was amazed at seeing Yagami's new motorcycle. She actually squealed when she found out that it belonged to her boyfriend. She could just imagine the romantic rides and it brought her dream about a golden knight on horseback even closer to reality.

"Oh this is soooo gooooood!" Serena giggled as she chowed down on the food she had managed to order. While she was eating, one of the waiters walked by and she instantly froze. Slurping up the noodles she had in her mouth, she turned to see who had walked past. Her eyes immediately lit up when she recognized him. "Darien!"

"Huh?" the black haired young man blinked when he heard his name being called. He turned to face the girls. His arms were filled with dirty dishes. "Oh, Serena, everyone, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't this a coincidence that we're all here?" Serena asked cutely.

"You really can't lie to save your life, you know," Raye sighed.

Serena remained positive as she leaped from her seat so she could look cute for her boyfriend, "Are you busy right now? Sit down, let's talk!"

"Sorry, Serena," Darien chuckled. "But my arms are full. The pay here is great but it's kind of demanding. My shift ends in a while so you can ask me then."

"Hey, Darien!" another waiter called. "We need a hand over here!"

"Coming!" Darien called back before heading over to where his fellow waiters were setting something up.

"Awww," Serena pouted while leaning on the table. "How boring."

Just as Serena was about to try and find something else to do, she and the others began to hear a group of boys talking nearby. Much to their shock, the boys were actually talking about them!

"Wow, that blonde is cute."

"Are you going to talk to them?"

"Dunno, one of them looks taken."

"That still leaves four others,"

Yagami felt that cold feeling in his gut again, but it wasn't as strong as it was at the temple. Lita made it vanish as she scooted closer to her boyfriend and held his arm, making it clear that she was taken. Raye was taking the comments in stride while she took a sip from her drink. Mina was making an attempt to keep their attention as she made herself look cute. Amy seemed confused about who the boys were talking about, not even considering that it might be her. Serena was posing in a position most models would take while trying to look as pretty as she could.

"Hey!" one of the boys gasped. "There are some real hotties over there!"

The three boys turned their attention in the direction that their friend spoke an made various gasps or whistles of admiration before they headed in that direction. Serena, Mina, and Raye all began twitching with sweatdrops. It was obvious that they did not like being disregarded like that. Lita just giggled while Amy shrugged.

"Oooh," Yagami snickered. "Shot down."

Three dark glares were fired at him. He shivered uncontrollably for a minute before standing up.

"I think I'll see what the snack bar has," the lone male shuddered. He then turned to his girlfriend. "Want anything?"

"Nothing, thanks," Lita smiled.

"Okay," Ygami nodded. "Be back soon."

Yagami then all but dashed from the table. Daimon and the other Riders he could handle, but there was no way he was going to face feminine fury even on his best day. He wouldn't win no matter what.

Heading over to the snack bar, he found that Darien was tending to the counter. It seemed that business was slow for the time being so the older boy could relax for a moment.

"Hey, Kira," he smiled as the Kamen Rider took a seat. "How are you doing?"

"Okay I guess," Yagami sighed as he leaned on the counter.

"You want to talk about it?" Darien asked, sensing that something was up. He could tell when something was bugging his friends.

"I guess," Yagami shrugged. "Let me ask you this; you've been dating Serena for a while, right?"

"Sure," Darien nodded. "It's been rocky every now and then but we've pulled through. To be honest though, we couldn't stand each other at first."

"Wow, can't picture that," Yagami snickered. He then sobered up for a moment. "Have at any time you felt a little insecure about your position with her? I mean, as if there's something cold in your stomach and it feels you might lose her to someone else?"

Darien blinked before it all donned on him, "Oh, I see what's going on. You're feeling like you aren't the perfect boyfriend for Lita, don't you?"

"Maybe," Yagami shrugged. "So, have you felt like that?"

"Every now and then," Darien replied. "The worst was a little while back."

"Oh?" Yagami blinked.

"Yeah," Darien nodded, while leaning closer so no one would overhear. "We were fighting these guys called the Negamoon Family. They were being led by a guy named Prince Diamond. He and his family came from the time Rini came from. He actually fell in love with Serena and wanted to kidnap her and make her his queen."

"You're kidding!" Yagami gaped.

"Nope," Darien sighed. "I was never so scared of losing her than I was then. I also admit that I was a little jealous when I thought about it later. Despite his flaws, Diamond was classy, polite, proper, everything that a prince, albeit and evil one, should be. Compared to him, I'm not that impressive."

"Beside the fact that you were good and he was evil?" asked Yagami.

"But he was still the kind of guy that lots of girls would fall for," Darien reminded him. "Heck, a subordinate of his even fell for him. Emerald was her name I think."

"So how'd you get over it besides blowing him away?" wondered Yagami. "I don't think I can Rider Kick my problem away."

"Simple," Darien smiled. "Serena chose me over him. Just like she chooses me over all other guys she meets. Sure, she gets gooey over good looking guys, but that's normal for teens. We always notice the good looking ones."

"Raging hormones at work again," Yagami sighed.

"Exactly," Darien nodded. "So I wouldn't worry. Lita's a girl who knows exactly what she wants in a boyfriend and you are the perfect fit for her. If you weren't, then I don't think you two would have been together as long as you have been this far.

Darien did raise a good point. But, in hindsight, it had all been Serena's doing that he and Lita ended up together. The blonde girl may be a little clueless at times and a bit of an airhead, but she had a good heart. She was also a hopeless romantic. Through her, he met the other girls and hooked up with Lita. At first he had been hesitant of starting any sort of relationship since his stay in this universe could be temporary, but over time he relaxed. However, the possibility that he would have to leave one day still hung over his head…that was until he heard Rini's story. Would that mean he would never get home?

Did he want to go home?

They said home is where the heart is and his heart…it belonged to Lita.

He gave off a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Darien asked. "You were quiet for awhile there."

"Oh, I'm fine," Yagami chuckled, "Just doing some thinking."

"Anyway, it's good to see Lita has a boyfriend like you. I do think that Mina's a little jealous, and maybe Raye."

Yagami could imagine. Mina was as much as a romantic as Serena. Raye hid it well but even she was a teenage girl and imagined about meeting her 'Mr. Right'. Right now Chad fit the bill since he was seen as a Kamen Rider by her. Yagami did tell the other girls after telling Lita about Chad's predicament, but he assured them he would be fine until Daisuke returned from his vacation, whenever that would be.

Turning lightly, he noticed the girls were talking to a pair lounging on beach chairs. When the girls parted for a moment, he could see the characteristic hair color of someone he had talked to now and then.

"Haruka and Michelle?" he blinked, "Didn't know they were here."

"Yeah, they got here yesterday," Darien nodded. "They've been a real hit with the guys here. Too bad they shot them all down before anyone got a real chance to ask for a date."

"Hmm, I guess their tastes aren't as obvious as I thought they were," Yagami shrugged.

Suddenly, Raye started pestering Serena again, which got the odango blonde angry again. At one point, Serena leaped to push Raye in the pool when the raven-haired girl calmly stepped out of the way. Serena couldn't stop moving and instantly fell in the pool.

"Whoops," Darien chuckled. "I'll be hearing about that one later."

"No doubt," Yagami sighed. "But the rest of us will be hearing Raye and Serena argue about it until you show up."

"Well, good luck with that," Darien smiled.

"Yeah, we'll need it," Yagami nodded.

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Everyone had finished changing and was heading for the temple. Lita wanted to continue her training while the others had wanted to study. Not wanting to ditch his friends and girlfriend, Yagami walked alongside them while walking his bike.

"Ooh, Raye was right. I couldn't get a date," Serena whined.

"So that's what you two were arguing about this time?" asked Yagami.

"Of course," Mina nodded with a smile. "We even saw Haruka and Michelle! They are here too! What a coincidence!"

"I saw them," Yagami nodded. "So what were you talking about?"

"Oh, just girl stuff," Raye shrugged. "It seemed you were busy having a conversation with Darien though."

"Eh?!" Serena gaped while turning around. She was suddenly up in Yagami's face, looking determined. "You were? What were you talking about? Did he talk about me?"

"Guy stuff," Yagami shrugged, not wanting to spill the fact about his insecurity. "You can probably guess how it is."

"Oh," Serena huffed before returning to her previous spot, slouching and all.

As the group of friends was traveling, the roar of an engine was heard in the distance. The friends moved to the side to avoid getting clipped or worse by the oncoming machine. The car came closer and eventually roared past. When everyone took a moment to look at the car and the driver, they saw a familiar black star insignia and the red-haired occupant.

"Eudial!" Serena gasped as the recognition hit her.

"What's she doing here?" wondered Mina.

"Nothing good," Yagami growled as he mounted his bike and hit the ignition. "I'll go on ahead and see if I can do anything."

"I'll go with you," Lita insisted as she leaped onto the machine behind Yagami.

"Are you sure?" asked Yagami. "Being hit alone by a Kamen Rider before the Scouts show up would be a surprise."

"I'm sure!" Lita answered.

"Okay then," Yagami nodded before hitting the accelerator. The yellow and silver bike went roaring down the path after Eudial. The remaining girls started running so they wouldn't be too far behind in fighting Eudial and whatever Daimon she had brought with her this time.

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Kakusui was sitting on a large boulder as he did his meditations. He had fallen asleep twice since he kept his eyes closed and let his mind remain blank. He was letting some of his pent up energies out through his relaxing meditation. He was hoping that his student would learn about that as well. It was fine to be strong, even more so if you wanted to be stronger for someone else if you had the right reasons, but it was just as important to be relaxed and not be alone in the world. Being alone and continuous combat training could help increase strength, but would eventually stunt one's growth.

He was broken out of his meditations by the roar of an engine. Looking over to the source, he was somewhat surprised to see a white mini-van come crashing through the underbrush. It was plain white with a black star etched on both front seat doors. Being cautions, Kakusui stood up and went into a relaxed stance.

The driver of the car was a red-haired woman in a lab coat. He could obviously tell this because she had stepped out of her vehicle.

"Can I help you?" Kakusui frowned.

"Of course," the woman smiled as she reached into her car. Kakusui was slightly confused by her actions and held his stance. He might as well stay ready for anything in case this woman was planning something, "By giving me your pure heart." She suddenly took out a strange gun and aimed straight at him. He was too surprised to do anything as she pulled the trigger and suddenly something felt like it had been pushed straight out of his body. Eudial grinned as her work was done. Kakusui was down on the ground as his heart crystal hovered above him.

"Good," Eudial smiled in satisfaction, "And none of those pesky Riders and Scouts are here either."

As Eudial went to retrieve the heart crystal, Yagami and Lita were riding into the scene.

"Mr. Kakusui!" Lita gasped before Yagami pulled over. Lita leapt off the back and took out her transformation stick but Yagami grabbed her shoulder.

"Be careful, Lita-chan." Yagami said with concern and Lita nodded before she called out her transformation call.

"JUPITER STAR POWER!" In a flash of lightning, Lita had transformed into her alter-ego, Sailor Jupiter, before she ran towards the scene.

"STANDBY!" Yagami's bracelet called. He revved up his engine. He was going to join up with her soon to assist her.

Eudial threw off her lab coat to reveal her battle outfit as she walked over to the heart crystal. So far, everything seemed to be smooth sailing...

"Hold it!"

And she just had to jinx herself like that. Turning quickly, she saw one of the Sailor Scouts standing at one of the rock formations, staring her down with fiery determination.

"Stealing the determined heart of a true warrior is unforgivable!" Sailor Jupiter frowned. "I, Sailor Jupiter, will not let this crime go unpunished!"

"Oh?" Eudial smirked. "Well, that's too bad. I guess I'll just have to use this new Daimon to make sure I do get away. It should be more than enough to take down one Sailor Scout."

Eudial pulled out her small remote and pressed a button. The back of her mini-van opened wide to reveal the silver box with the black star of the Deathbusters imprinted on it. It immediately burst wide open in a haze of pink smoke as a figure leaped out of it.

This new Daimon was female like all the rest. It had a red one piece on with red knee-braces, high heels, and red gloves. Its skin was a pale green while its face was revealed along with two long ears which were sticking out of the red helmet it was wearing. Its midsection was multi colored while the most eye-catching feature it had was the large brush attached to its back.

"DARUMAH!" the Daimon cried as it landed on the ground.

"Hmm," Eudial smirked. "Darumah, deal with Sailor Jupiter. I'll take the heart crystal."

"No!" Jupiter cried as she began to try and cut Eudial off from her target.

"DARUMAH!" Darumah cried as she brought her large paintbrush out and pointed it at Sailor Jupiter. Immediately, the bristles of the paintbrush began shooting at her at the pace of a machine gun. Jupiter scrambled to get out of the way and leaped above them. Darumah just smirked before one of the multicolored sections on her torso shot out as a disk and impacted against Jupiter's stomach.

"Gack!" the Scout of Jupiter cried as she fell to the ground. Darumah just smirked as she started walking towards her with her brush raised again.

"No!" Yagami gasped as he spotted the impending disaster. He saw the Hakabuto Zector that had just arrived and he instantly grabbed it out of the sky. Gripping it tightly, he snapped it onto the bracelet "Henshin!"

"HENSHIN!" the Hakabuto Zector called as it began the transformation, covering Yagami in the familiar hexagonal field which then began to fill out with his Masked Form armor. At the same time, his bike was also doing its own transformation. Plates began to shift all over his vehicle, changing its form. The street racing exterior shifted and overlapped as thicker armor more suited for battle began to take its place. The majority of the armor was gold and the front now held a horn that was on the insect his armor was derived from. On the windshield was the emblem that resembled a Hercules Beetle. The bike had become the Hakabuto Raider.

With a roar of the engine, Hakabuto raced straight towards the Daimon holding Jupiter and called out, "Cast Off!"

"CAST OFF!" the Zector called before his armor just exploded off his body. "CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

"Huh?" Darumah gasped as she and Eudial turned to see who had interrupted them now. They were both rather shocked to see a Kamen Rider coming at them on a gold motorcycle. Darumah was reasonably stunned while Eudial was somewhat quicker to recover. She turned back to snatch the heart crystal before things got any worse, only to find that it was gone.

"Looking for something?" a female voice asked.

Eudial looked straight up to the trees and found the heart crystal in the hands of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. The aquamarine-haired Sailor Scout had her eyes trained on the battle, but her blonde companion seemed to have her attention on Hakabuto and his new ride. Her usual disdain for the Riders was easily found, but a slight bit of envy was hidden in her eyes over the new motorcycle as well.

"We appreciate the work, but this isn't a Talisman," Sailor Uranus spoke up, tearing her attention away from the gold Rider.

"What?!" Eudial snapped. "Another waste!"

Eudial didn't bother with saying much else. She just dashed over to her mini-van and got in. She then peeled rubber out of the clearing like hell itself was on her heels. Sailors Uranus and Neptune both sighed before Neptune casually sent the heart crystal back into Kakusui.

"Should we lend a hand?" asked Neptune to her partner.

"It's none of our concern," Uranus frowned. "Besides, Hakabuto's new weapon will probably make this go quick."

"Jealous?" Neptune teased.

"Almost," Uranus sighed before she leaped away, Neptune close behind.

Back to the battle, Hakabuto roared past Darumah, clipping her and sending her sprawling to the ground. He then quickly turned the Hakabuto Raider around and pulled up next to Sailor Jupiter.

"I'll go low," he spoke, "You go high. Sound fair?"

"Sure," Jupiter nodded as she stood up. Hakabuto then revved up his engine and allowed the engine to roar once again as he dashed straight towards the fallen Daimon. Darumah got back up and aimed her paintbrush at the Rider. She then started firing the bristles at him again. The bristles couldn't even touch him as they sailed past him. When he got in range, he pulled his arm back and threw it straight into the Daimon's chest.

The Daimon went down from the hit and immediately got back up to fire at the Rider.

"_Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!_!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. She fired a disc of concentrated electricity at her opponent.

"DARUMAH!" the Daimon cried as she began spinning her brush in a rapid circle in front of her. The disc collided with the brush the two forces struggled with each other with ground shaking force. Darumah began to struggle as the attack began to overpower her. Strangely enough, her face morphed into one that matched a Darumah doll. Suddenly, she was unable to hold the attack any longer and the electricity began coursing through her body.

"ACK-ACK-ACK-ACK-AAAAAARRRRGGGGG!!!" the Daimon let out a scream as the electricity poured into her body, electrocuting her and frying her up. Jupiter smiled as she admired her handiwork. She really had gotten stronger. Most enemies would have been able to block if they tried that. The Daimon was smoking all over was proof that her training had worked. Her eyes then went over towards Hakabuto who was speeding straight towards the Daimon from behind. One hand was on one of the handlebars, but the other was on his Zector.

"1, 2, 3," the Zector called as he pressed the buttons before resetting the horn and then pulling it back. "Rider Kick."

"RIDER KICK!" it roared as energy flowed through Hakabuto's armor. His eyes flashed.

Darumah heard the attack and turned to see the golden Rider coming at her. Acting quickly, she began to shoot electric beams from her eyes in attempts to stop him. This didn't seem to work as Hakabuto steered out of the way or the beams would splash against the bike's outer armor.

"Now for a newer version of my Rider Kick!" Hakabuto then leapt off his bike and went into a flying kick. His powered kick smashed into her chest and sent her to the ground before the bike roared past. He landed back on his ride and pulled over next to Jupiter. The Daimon's body shuddered and spasm as she screamed before going stiff. Black smoke poured out of its body before it morphed back into a Darumah doll. The Black Daimon seed fell out of the doll and shattered on the ground, releasing the black phantom. As it faded away, Hakabuto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew," Hakabuto sighed. "Was it just me or was that Daimon at least a little stronger than the others?"

"Maybe," Jupiter shrugged.

"Still," Hakabuto nodded. "Nice shot. Usually when an enemy blocks something they're confident that they can block it. You really have gotten stronger."

"I have, haven't I?" Jupiter smiled cutely. "Can't be sure by how much though."

"I'd say if you kept throwing attacks around like that, you would have been the one who destroyed that Daimon," Hakabuto answered.

"Really?" Jupiter gasped in surprise.

"Sure," Hakabuto nodded. "Good to know you've got my back in a fight."

Jupiter suddenly smiled brightly as a small flush came to her face.

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The four other Sailor Scouts were back on the train with their bags and cats with them. They had been slightly disappointed that they were too late to do anything to help, but they were still happy that Kakusui got to keep his heart and no one else got hurt. Serena was disappointed that Darien still had to work so she had to go back home dateless. Of course, she quickly got over it when they got back on the train.

"Yum!" Serena cried as she gobbled her boxed lunch. "I said it before and I'll say it again, I love to travel!"

"And we've told you that you're going to choke if you keep eating like that!" Raye snapped.

Deciding to try and change the conversation, Amy spoke up, "Do you think that Lita solved whatever problem she came here to deal with?"

"Oh, I think so," Mina snickered as she pointed out the window.

The girls looked outside where Mina was pointing, and all of them suddenly sprouted small smiles. Out in the distance where the road was running, they could see Yagami on his motorcycle again. This time however, he had a passenger who was holding onto him tightly with her arms wrapped around him.

For her own part, Lita felt like she was dreaming again. She couldn't stop the silly smile that was on her face as she and Yagami rode down the road which would take them back home. She was just happy that the helmet Yagami had brought with him was hiding her face. She felt even better knowing that she did get stronger and Yagami openly admitting he liked her having his back made her fears shrink dramatically. True, there was the odd whisper, but that wasn't anywhere near enough to ruin her day.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hello everyone. How do you like the chapter? I saw the episode I based this chapter after as a perfect opportunity to give some depth to Lita and Yagami's relationship. As always, my thanks to ZK Chromedragozoid for proofreading and lending creative support.


	19. Talk of the Past! My Reason to Fight

I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I only write the fics and do not profit from them.

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-faced Paladin

Chapter 18: Talk of the Past. My Reason to Fight!

Kira Yagami wasn't what one would call an overly violent person. He was actually a mild-mannered person most of the time. He was loyal to his friends, but was someone who tended to be part of the scenery rather than be part of the centre stage. If any of the people who knew him back in his home world could see him now, they would wonder if they were looking at the same person.

What he was doing at the moment was walking towards the train station where he was going to meet the girls. Amy had suggested that they scope out one of the schools that they wanted to go to. Yagami personally thought that it was a little early, but it got him out of studying so he wasn't going to complain.

He wasn't going to be going alone either. Tendou was being his usual enigmatic self and stated that he would accompany them. Yagami would have argued but he figured having some kind of chaperone might help them get inside if some kind of teacher made a fuss about non-students being on the campus.

"So which school are your friends going to?" asked Tendou as he and Yagami walked towards the subway station.

"Uh…I kinda forgot the name," Yagami replied while rubbing the back of his head. "Amy was the one who picked it out. Knowing her it will have a history of academic excellence."

"A girl with her priorities straight," Tendou nodded.

The two males entered the train station. Buying tickets went past quickly and the two Riders reached the loading platform. As they entered, Yagami spied some familiar faces near the benches where some of the passengers waited for their trains to arrive.

"Hey, girls," he called. The girls knew that voice,

"Kira!" Lita exclaimed before hugging him. "You came!"

Yagami smiled, "Of course I did. You did ask me." The girls began to approach him.

"Oh, hello, Tendou," Amy bowed. Tendou bowed back. "What brings you here?"

"I decided to keep New Guy company," Tendou replied with a shrug. He was voicing his usual uncaring tone. Still, Yagami had long since found that the beetle Rider cared about a number of things.

"Well, I wouldn't mind having you along," Mina smiled brightly.

They all waited until the subway train finally came. It wasn't that crowded since not many people were there. The commuters were already at work and all the students were having a day off. Because of the lack of people, the group of friends had a car to themselves.

Lita and Yagami were nestled next to each other on a seat while Tendou sat one seat down from them. Raye, Amy, Serena, and Mina sat across from them. There was a lot of open spaces, which was good since the subway cars could get notoriously crowded during the rush hours.

As they were riding the car, Raye was sending curious glances at both Yagami and Tendou. Ever since she found out Yagami was a Rider she had a question that she wanted answered. Yagami danced around the issue so she decided that she could get some answers.

"Um…Tendou?" she asked. The elder Rider's attention was instantly turned to her. She steeled herself for any reaction and finally asked her question. "I was just curious, but what exactly did the Riders fight before they came to Juuban? To be as strong as you guys are you had to be fighting something bad."

"I've been wondering about that too," Serena nodded. "We asked Kira but he didn't really tell us."

"Hmm," Tendou nodded. He sat up straight as he began to explain. "They were called Worms. They were an alien species similar to insects. They were the enemy that the Riders were created to fight."

"Woah," Mina blinked. "So what could they do?"

"They had the ability to mimic people," Tendou answered. "They could assume the form of another person. They even went so far as to kill the person they were mimicking before assuming their form."

"Oh my!" Amy gasped. "They sounded vicious!"

"Perhaps," Tendou shrugged. "Most Worms took a cocoon-like form which they could shed and take a more powerful form. It is in this evolved form that they could Clock-up naturally."

"You mean they could move as fast as you guys without needing armor?" asked Serena. "No wonder you guys needed that Clock-up stiff."

"Yeah," Yagami nodded. His voice began to sound hollow. Lita had felt his body stiffen as Tendou mentioned the Pupaworms.

"Kira-kun?" asked Lita with some worry. "What's wrong?"

"I guess…I had more experience with Worms than I thought," Yagami answered. "Tendou, do the cocoon-like Worms look green with something like a skeleton trapped inside the folds?"

"Pupaworms," Tendou answered. "You've seen them before?"

"Yes," Yagami nodded. "Those were the things that managed to take the forms of my parents."

The girls gasped. From what Tendou just told them, that meant that Worms had killed Yagami's parents in order to take their forms. Lita wrapped her arms around his arm and held him tighter. It seemed they had something else in common beside how they fought monsters.

"Hmm," Tendou nodded. "So we're in the same boat then."

Tendou's parents had been killed by Worms as well. The only difference between his and Yagami's experience was that the Worms who killed his parents had large horns rather than being simple Pupaworms.

"What happened?" Lita asked.

"It happened when I was 8, I think," Yagami said, attempting to recall the painful memories. "I thought it was a dream when I saw these bug things come into my parents rooms. I ran inside my room and locked the door. The next morning, I saw my parents and no signs of these things. But, I guess, in the back of my mind I knew that what I saw wasn't a dream and those people who I thought were my parents, weren't really them. I could sense it, but I was in denial. So, I just continued on with my life." He paused. "The day I saw the Riders fighting 3 Worms, and now hearing about Pupaworms, I finally recalled what really happened." He closed his eyes.

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Flashback…

_A young 8-year old Yagami could be seen coming out of his room, yawning, in the middle of the night. He wanted to get a drink of water before going back to bed. He was having nightmares since several weeks ago when those meteors hit Shinjuku. It scared him but his parents assured him that there was nothing to be afraid of._

_He then heard his mother's scream before he dropped the glass, causing it to shatter. _

"_Mama?" he asked, panicking, as he ran towards his parents' room. The door was slightly ajar so he peaked into the room. His eyes widened when he saw these green things grab his parents. _

"_Mama! Papa!" little Yagami shouted. His mother looked at him._

"_Kira! Run!" she shouted at him and he did as told. He ran back to his room, locked the door, and covered himself with his blanket, praying they wouldn't get him. He didn't know when he eventually fell asleep._

_The next morning he saw his parents, perfectly alright. "Mama!" he shouted, running towards his mother and giving her a hug. "I had this dream and you and papa were being attacked by these monsters!"_

_His 'mother' gave him a tender look and assured him, "It was only a dream, Kira. Now, get ready for school."_

_Little Yagami began to have a sensation that felt strange. Something felt off. Did he really dream all that up?_

…End Flashback.

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"But…aren't you guys stepbrothers?" asked Raye with some alarm.

"Yes," Tendou nodded. "However, our parents were revealed as Worms and destroyed by the organization which was created to combat them."

"The men in the black suits with machine guns," Yagami nodded, recalling some more memories. "I was put into foster care before my foster dad married Tendou's mother."

Yagami almost felt ill at the amount of lies he had to spew. Luckily Tendou was there to help him out if he needed it. He longed to tell the truth about himself, but he had to remember that being from another universe was still nutty no matter what he had seen since he began fighting Daimon alongside the Sailor Scouts.

Things got quiet after Yagami finished his explanation. Tendou kept a calm eye on the young Rider, making sure he didn't say anything that would blow his cover. Lita kept herself pressed against Yagami arms in an attempt to comfort him. The rest of the girls respectfully kept their peace after accidentally reopening what seemed to be an old wound.

"Are you sure these Worms are gone for good?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you told us that they could mimic humans, become anyone they want. It could be possible that there are others still out there," she stated.

"So, we should go and hunt them down to make sure," Raye said encouragingly.

"Um…can we not?" Serena gulped. "I mean, giant bugs?"

Tendou quirked an eyebrow, "You fight deadly monsters on a regular basis and you're afraid of alien insects?" Serena nodded. He sighed. "Well, I doubt you'd find anymore Worms out there. If there were any, we'd know. Our Zectors were created to track them and report back to us."

Yagami slowly rubbed his bracelet. He had to remember the purpose the Zectors played in all this. They were what had brought them to this place, at least in part. What had caused this was an immense explosion of tachyon energy due to the destruction of 3 very strange Roachworms. His life had been normal up to the point when he activated the Zector and became a Rider. Though he missed the monotonous life of a regular student a little…he would never trade anything for this new life. Lita was a great girl and he was feeling ashamed and disgusted with himself for having to lie to her about his true origins. Thankfully, she hadn't picked up on anything like that but still…he really wanted to tell her the truth.

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Deep in the confines of his laboratory, Professor Tomoe was not working away at another Daimon for a change. Instead, he was dressed in jogging shorts and a sleeveless shirt and running on top of a treadmill. His breath was labored as he continued to run and sweat with exertion.

"Exercise in moderation is good stimulus for the brain," he reminded himself as he continued to run.

He continued to run and exert himself on the treadmill. After a few moments, a large grin appeared on his face.

"Oh! I feel an idea coming!" he reached to the control panel of the treadmill and hit thee highest speed for it. He began to run faster so he could keep up with the track he was on. He was laughing in anticipation as he continued to run. "Here it comes! My newest idea! I finally have it!"

Without even bothering to stop his treadmill, he reached over to his phone. He gripped the receiver and pressed the speed dial. After a few rings, the familiar voice of Eudial could be heard on the other end.

"Eudial here," her soft feminine voice answered.

"It's me," the Professor huffed as he continued to run. "I had an idea. Why don't we try a track-and-field runner? Do we have that?"

Inside her own lab, Eudial's eyes narrowed before she turned to her computer and began typing at the keys. After a few moments, the image of a tanned young woman with red hair appeared on the computer screen.

"Yes we do have one on file," Eudial answered.

"Good," the Professor grinned back in his lab. "I will get a Daimon ready for you. It will be perfect for your needs."

"Thank you, Professor," Eudial answered. The smile could be heard in her voice.

"That aside," the Professor continued. "How is that other project coming along? Have you discovered a means of getting our last hurdle away from our guest?"

"We have a few ideas," Eudial answered. Some grumblings could be heard in the background from her associates. Apparently they were not happy with the subject of their project. "We've tried a few, but so far we can't get near him without him attacking us. He's a fighter, but we aren't finished yet."

"Good," the Professor nodded. "We're close to a breakthrough! I can feel it in my bones!"

The Professor then hung up the phone and fiddled with some switches within his reach. As he touched them, a familiar machine began coming to life.

The large case which was the centre of the contraption held a simple track hurdle. The case slammed shut and locked tightly. A vial was inserted from above, containing a Daimon seed and the red fluid they were kept in. The seed was quickly inserted into the case. Smoke instantly began spewing from the seams before the sounds of something thrashing around inside could be heard.

"HURDLER!" was the sounds heard from within.

As the process was complete, a white case with a black star was pushed along a conveyor belt that quickly deposited the case into Eudial's waiting car. The redhead in question got in her preferred mode of transportation before the movable platform began hoisting her to one of the many exits Deathbuster HQ had.

This particular entrance had Euidial driving straight out of an elephant pen in the local zoo. The large mammals gave of trumpets of surprise, but Eudial's driving got her away from them soon enough. She quickly raced through the main entrance of the zoo before heading down the streets in search of her prey.

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"So, what is this school called?" Tendou asked, as the group walked closer to the school that the resident genius had picked out.

"Oh, it's Shirikaba High School," Amy replied. "It's quite a well-respected school. They have top rank facilities and a very large campus."

"I sure hope the boys are cute, though," Mina smiled. Amy sighed. Raye rolled her eyes.

"Are boys always on your mind?" Raye asked, annoyed.

"This from the girl who has a crush on Drake," Mina teased, causing Raye to blush. "So, has your Rider in shining armor asked you out yet?"

"Oh, shut up," Raye grumbled. Everyone shared a good laugh.

"So, why isn't Darien and Rini coming with us?" Yagami asked, referring to the civilian identities of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mini-Moon.

"Darien has classes today," Serena sighed sadly. "And Rini didn't want to come. Good riddance to her anyway."

No one answered to Serena's rant since they all knew how she and the girl from the future would fight. They just let Serena fume as they entered the campus and began looking at their surroundings.

"Wow," Mina smiled. Her eyes had been drawn towards the large gymnasium which was standing proudly on the campus. "Look at that gym. If I get in here then I might be able to get into volleyball again."

"I'm sure you can get in," Raye encouraged. "You've been working pretty hard lately."

"That's right!" Serena nodded.

"I said _she_ was working very hard," Raye commented with a snicker. Serena's face instantly turned to a growl as she turned to face her sometimes nemesis.

"Raye," she growled. "You know, its comments like that, that make me hurt. Sometimes I wonder if our friendship is really on the rocks."

"Oh really?" asked Raye with mock confusion. "I wonder why."

Serena stiffened with how calmly Raye had been talking to her. Her stunned state continued as the rest of her friends continued to walk deeper onto the campus.

"Don't worry, Serena," Amy tried to comfort her friend. "You can get into any school. So long as you pass the entrance exam."

Serena's hope of cheering up was suddenly crushed as Amy spoke. She resisted the urge to facefault, but failed as she crashed into the dirt.

"I don't think that was helping, Amy," Raye commented to her friend. Everyone had sweatdropped from the bluenette's comment.

"I was just telling the truth," Amy blinked.

"Sometimes, Amy, the truth hurts," Serena moaned, "Really, really, hurts."

Yagami's eyes scanned the area when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He saw that it was Tendou. He had Yagami hang back from the others for a moment, letting them walk forward. The Rhinoceros Beetle Rider asked his Hercules counterpart. "How do you like it?"

"It's okay, I guess," Yagami shrugged.

"What you said, was it true, about your parents being…" Tendou trailed and saw Yagami nod. "I see."

"I thought it was some bad dream. I did see my parents but then I noticed they were acting really weird. Now I know why," Yagami absently rubbed the Hakabuto brace. "How did you manage it?"

"I accepted that they were no longer my parents and ran to live with my grandmother," Tendou replied. Yagami snorted.

"Easy for you to say," Yagami sighed. "In some ways they were still my parents even if they were wearing their faces. They knew how to act, and talk…"

"Worm mimicry is almost perfect since they copy their targets' memories too," Tendou reminded. "That's how they make their disguises work."

"At least those things aren't here," Yagami said with a little relief. He muttered, "I hate lying to Lita."

"Better that than have her worry about you leaving," Tendou remarked. "Do you _want_ to leave?"

Yagami looked over to where Lita was talking to the girls. She noticed him looking at her and winked. He smiled back before turning to look at Tendou. "I…don't know. I mean, we have people we left behind there, where we came from, but if we leave we'll be leaving behind people too."

Tendou then quoted, "Grandmother said this; when we leave our home, we think of what we left behind. But when we are in a new place, we think of what we may leave behind again."

Yagami quirked an eyebrow. He had stopped wondering what Tendou meant with his grandmother's quotes. They had a deep hidden meaning in them. He would get what it was, eventually. Lita grabbed his hand, "C'mon, Kira-kun! You too, Tendou!"

The excited brunette took Yagami's arm and began pulling him along to their friends. Tendou remained stoic as he followed after them. He was the chaperone so he might as well do his job and keep his eye on the others.

Raye and Serena were deep in one of their arguments again as Lita brought the two Riders to rejoin the group. They were bickering about Serena's study habits and how Raye's school let them advance to their high school counterpart easily.

As they were arguing, Mina had noticed that someone was running around the circular track which the school had. One by one, everyone noticed the person who was running over hurdles and around the track.

"Eh?" Serena blinked. "Who's that?"

The person in question was a girl. She had tanned skin and red hair which reached to her ears. Her figure was obviously that of an athlete if what she was doing was any indication. She was practically a gust of wind as she went around the track.

"Wow." Mina blinked. "She's Elsa Gray. She's an incredible track and hurdle runner. She's even competes at the national championship level. She's a celebrity here."

The girls watched in awe as Elsa went around the track at incredible speeds. Yagami was just trying not to look like he was ogling her. She was a very attractive girl after all and he was sure Lita would feel bad if it looked like he was eyeing a different girl. She was rather sensitive about her feminine charms.

Tendou watched Elsa go with his usual indifference. However, he could tell that she was a unique individual. One did not become as good as her without some kind of determination. It was this determination that made the elder Rider suspect that Elsa may become a target of the Deathbusters.

Elsa continued to do her run. Eventually, she finished and walked over to the fountain to get a drink. As she was wiping the sweat off her brow, she noticed the small audience that she had collected.

"Hi there," she smiled.

The collected girls and one boy bowed in the customary greeting. Tendou merely nodded. Elsa walked over to the group with her towel over her shoulders.

"I didn't quite know I had an audience," she smiled. "I hope I was impressive in some way."

"Oh yes!" Amy nodded quickly. "You were quite impressive."

"Why, thank you," Elsa smiled brightly. "Can I ask what you are here for? I don't think most of you are part of this school."

"Well, we are actually were considering coming here," Raye replied. "We were just checking out the campus to see what it's like."

"I see," Elsa nodded. She heaved a sigh to help catch her breath. "Would you mind if we take a seat somewhere?"

"Sure!" Mina nodded.

The group relocated to some benches underneath some trees. The shade felt nice after running in the sun so Elsa was happy to sit down with them all.

"So you all plan on coming her next year?" she asked curiously.

"Well, we aren't sure yet," Lita answered.

Elsa nodded as she accepted the answer with a blank look on her face. Her arms then reached behind the two sitting beside her on either side (which were Mina and Lita) before actually squeezing their behinds firmly.

"Ahh!" both girls cried as they leaped to their feat. The remaining girls recoiled away from Else while Yagami was in stunned silence. Elsa had just groped his girlfriend. He wasn't sure whether to appreciate the girl-on-girl action or be upset that he hadn't been the first to touch Lita like that. Tendou just eyes the event with his stoically amused face.

"W-what was that for?" Lita asked nervously. Had Elsa just made a move on her and Mina? Couldn't she tell that she was taken?

"Hmm," Elsa seemed to ponder as she flexed her fingers. She then started to smile. "Your thighs are rather nice and firm. Definitely good for track runners. If you did decide to come here, I think you'd do well on the track team."

The girls all broke into relieved laughter. As awkward as the situation was, it was still funny now that they thought about it. Yagami was just relieved that Elsa wasn't making a move for his girl after all. It would be pretty awkward.

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Meanwhile Eudial was leaning against her car outside of the school gates, looking over the file again for information on their current target. "Hm, not bad, not bad at all," she smiled. "If this girl does have what we want then it'll be worth it and if she doesn't then maybe I get a chance to record some more data on the Riders. Either way I get something out of it." She reentered her vehicle. "Watch out, here comes Eudial!" She laughed insanely.

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Back at the benches, the group was still conversing while Tendou seemed to be watcheing the scenery move by. He had no interest in the conversation at all. It suited the girls fine since they were too busy gossiping anyway.

"Even with the rest of the team having a day off, you're still here practicing," Mina smiled. "Then again, I shouldn't really be surprised."

Elsa's smile seemed to dim at those words. Her eyes also adopted a faraway look, like she was remembering something, "Well, I used to be pretty confident in my running."

"What happened?" asked Raye curiously.

"Well, there was someone I just couldn't beat," Elsa replied with a sigh. "When I competed against her, she went past me like the wind."

"Wow," Lita blinked. "Someone who's even faster than you?"

"Well, she's since quit track, but I still find that I'm in her shadow," Elsa sighed. She then started to smile. "Besides, there are plenty of people who are faster than both me and her."

"No way!" Mina gasped in shock. "How many people are faster than you?"

"You should know," Elsa smiled. A strange sparkle was beginning to come into her eyes. "You see them all the time. The Kamen Riders."

Yagami blinked at Elsa's answer. Technically, she was right. The Kamen Riders were capable at going into their Clock Up speeds which was way beyond what Elsa could do.

"Well, that's true," Amy nodded. "Lots of people say that they can move so fast that they can't be seen."

"I know it's true," Elsa nodded. "I've seen them go that fast."

"Really?" asked Yagami. Might as well see if he can figure out where she had seen the Riders fighting. "When did you see them?"

"It was a couple of weeks back," Elsa replied. "It was during that competition that was being held in Lover's Park. You know, the one where the statue turned into a monster."

"I remember that!" Serena smiled. "That's where Kira and Lita began their relationship!"

"Lucky you," Elsa smiled at the mentioned couple who blushed at the compliment. "Anyway, do you know who's my favorite Rider?"

"Who?" Mina asked, interested.

"The gold Hercules Beetle Rider," Elsa confessed. "Hakabuto."

Both Lita and Yagami were surprised by the confession before exchanging surprised looks. It was true that the Riders had fans but Elsa's confession seemed more like she was confessing about a crush than a hero she admired.

Serena was the one who spoke out about Elsa's admission first, "Ooooh! It sounds like you have a crush on him."

It was after the words left her mouth that Serena realized that what she was teasing Elsa about. The track runner blushed slightly from the insinuation and looked at her feet. Yagami turned slightly red and scratched the back of his neck. It was getting to be a little awkward all of a sudden.

"Uh…well," Serena gulped, trying to lighten the mood. Raye's death glares at her little outburst were not helping. "I mean…who isn't a fan of the Riders on some level?"

"Well," Elsa blushed. "I…I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't like to meet Hakabuto. I mean, I saw him and Zabee save the Sailor Scouts and defeat the monsters there. If I had the chance, I would love to meet Hakabuto."

Yagami swallowed a bit. Elsa had a crush on _him_? Well, actually on Hakabuto but they were still one and the same. It was strange. Back home he wasn't very attractive but now he had a girlfriend, fans and a girl who had a crush on his alter-ego. This world still seemed alien to him in some ways but in many ways it was still the same.

Tendou had an amused look on his face. How ironic that the girl was voicing out her crush towards the same Rider she was crushing on without her knowing it. Kagami would obviously tease Yagami relentlessly when he heard about this.

Lita, on the other hand, was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Yagami/Hakabuto was hers. It may have sounded selfish but that was the truth. She was in love and she didn't want any competition. It didn't make her feel any better that Elsa was gorgeous and very feminine looking. She knew Kira wouldn't do anything like cheat on her, but she still felt insecure.

Lita's discomfort continued until Elsa had to get back to her training. The group said their goodbyes before they began walking towards the exit again. They had probably seen enough.

"Not a bad place," Tendou shrugged. While he was keeping an eye out for threats like he usually did, he did see the layout of the campus as well.

"Yeah," Serena nodded. "Elsa was really nice too. If I want to come here then I'll have to work hard!"

"That's right, Serena," Amy nodded with a smile.

"Yeah. I mean, you aren't stupid," Raye shrugged. "It just takes a little concentration. That's all."

"Yeah!" Serena nodded happily. "I can do it!"

In the midst of the perk-up speech, there were the sounds of an engine roaring in the distance. It gave Tendou pause as he turned in the directions of the noises. The younger Rider and the girls didn't seem to hear it. Of course, when the scream ripped through the air, it was enough to get them to stop.

The track was still in plain sight and they were looking at an unwelcome familiar sight.

"New Guy," Tendou frowned. "Let's go,"

"Right," Yagami nodded.

"STANDBY!" the Zectors receivers that both riders were secretly wearing cried out. Buzzing sounds echoed through the air before the Kabuto and Hakabuto Zectors zoomed into their bearers' hands.

"You girls find a private place to transform," Tendou spoke. "We'll deal with Eudial."

"OK!" Serena said. "We'll be there before you know it!"

"Careful, Lita-chan," Yagami said as he followed after Tendou.

Eudial had come crashing through one of the fences that surrounded the school. She had spied her target and decided to go for it. She had already brought out her weapon out with her aim to pull out her target's heart crystal.

"Now hold still," Eudial smiled. "FIRE!"

Her gun fired off a blast of dark energy which was ripping through the air. Elsa was quick to react and she dashed to the side. The energy passed by her and crashed into a tree. Eudial frowned

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she frowned. She was then begun to take aim again. "People like you can sure run away quick."

"Hold it right there!"

Both Elsa and Eudial turned in the direction of the voice. Their eyes landed on a tree which had several young women in it. Their outfits were familiar, belonging to the magic guardians which saved the people so many times. The Sailor Scouts!

"I won't allow villains to harass innocent students!" Sailor Moon called out.

All five of the Scouts took a leap and landed on the ground between Elsa and Eudial. All five of them looked ready for a fight. Their postures were tensed and ready for action.

"The chosen warriors of Love and Justice! The Sailor Scouts!" all five of them called out. "And in the name of the moon, we will punish you!"

Eudial frowned at the appearance of the Sailor Scouts. As annoying as they were, she really didn't want to deal with them. At least with the Kamen Riders she would be able to get some more data. As it was, it looked like she would have to just go for the heart crystal.

"You again," she sighed.

"HENSHIN!" two mechanical voices spoke out.

Eudial's eyes widened as she turned to the path that went between the gym and the school. Who she found was Kabuto and Hakabuto walking towards her just as the last sections of armor appeared over their bodies.

"Now we're getting somewhere," she smiled. Despite her slight happiness at seeing the Riders, she still knew that her mission was going to be that much harder now.

Over with Elsa, she thought that her heart had stopped. Her eyes were glued on the gold and silver image of the Kamen Rider which she had her eye on. He was exactly as she remembered when she saw him at the competition in Lover's Park. Now if only he would get rid of that bulky outer armor.

"Heh," Eudial smiled. "Now that everyone's here, I guess I can show you all my surprise! Appear, Hurdler!"

Eudial raised her arm into the air, showing that she was holding a gun in her hand. It was the kind that those in track-and-field used. The sounds of her car door opening caught everyone's attention. The following exploding sound was expected. As the pink smoke began to rise from her car, Eudial let her handgun fire.

"HURDLER!" the new Daimon cried before she leaped from the trunk of Eudial's car and landed on the track, running on the spot.

Her skin was pink and had long purple hair tied in a ponytail. She was in a pair of black and white striped shorts and sneakers styled after sneakers. She had a chalk layer on her back and a large sneaker for a top.

"Hurdler," Eudial spoke up. "Deal with these pests."

"Yes, ma'am!" Hurdler cried before she began dashing towards the Scouts and Riders.

While the Daimon's speed was definitely impressive, both Kabuto and Hakabuto were accustomed to much faster speeds. They also knew that their Masked Forms were not going to cut it against this Daimon. It would be a better idea to change their form. They both reached to their Zectors and unlocked them both, bringing energy bolts around their bodies as their armor loosened.

"Cast off!" both Riders called out before they pulled the horns of their Zectors back.

"CAST OFF!" the Zectors cried out before the Masked Form armor burst off their bodies and flew in all directions.

"CHANGE BEETLE!

CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!"

Both Riders were now in their Rider forms, signaled by how their horns folded onto their helmets with their eyes flashing from the surge of energy.

"HURDLER!" the Daimon cried as she leaped up, actually managing to avoid the flying armor as it flew at it.

"Let's go!" Kabuto commanded.

"OK!" Hakabuto nodded before they both charged at the running Daimon. "Clock Up!" Hakabuto called before slamming his palm onto the side of his belt.

"CLOCK UP!" the Zector echoed as Hakabuto moved at Clock Up speed, watching as Hurdler's movements slowed down along with the rest of the world. Due to the Daimon's speed, however, she was leaving a blur in her movements, but still she wasn't a match for the Riders' Clock Up. He then smashed his foot into her gut, sending her flying.

"CLOCK OVER!"

"WAAARGH!" Hurdler yelled as she dropped to the ground and saw Hakabuto standing over her.

Elsa was transfixed on Hakabuto, as well as his speed. One moment he was there then he vanished before reappearing. He was absolutely marvelous!

Eudial grimaced at the blow that Hakabuto had dealt the Daimon. That cursed Clock Up system was definitely a pain in the butt. She hadn't even been able to grab her camera to record the battle. However, as she eyed what was happening, she saw that her arget was distracted along with the Sailor Scouts. With a smirk on her face, she raised her weapon a second time.

"Fire!" she cried out as she pulled the trigger.

The orb of dark energy cut through the air and soared past the Sailor Scouts. Elsa was caught off guard as the blast collided with her chest. She unleashed a scream of pain before the crimson heart crystal appeared in front of her chest before she collapsed.

"Bull's eye," Eudial smirked as she leaped into the air. She sailed over the Scouts before landing next to Elsa and grabbing the heart crystal. "Mine now."

"You wish," another voice spoke.

Two blurs leaped from the trees before the landed on either side of the Deathbuster. They were both tensed and ready to fight. As Eudial looked at them, she saw the forms of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune staring her down.

"We're only going to give you one chance," Neptune frowned. "Hand over the crystal or face the consequences."

"By all means choose the consequences," Uranus snickered.

"Humph!" Eudial snorted. "Not likely. This is mine now and no one is going to take this from me!"

As she was declaring her defiance, Kabuto began to react. He was waiting for this to happen. Eudial was due to make her move since she appeared. Uranus and Neptune were also due to appear. He wanted all forces in attendance before he got the heart crystal away from them. Eudial and her organization were an obvious threat, but Uranus and Neptune were a threat to the crystals on their own.

"Clock Up," Kabuto calmly called as he hi the button on the side of his belt.

"CLOCK UP!"

Kabuto vanished into a blur of speed. Eudial barely managed to blink before she was suddenly shoved a short distance away by an invisible force. The heart crystal hovered in the air for a moment and sparkled before beginning to fall.

"CLOCK OVER!"

Kabuto appeared and caught the heart crystal in his hand. His gaze was trained solely on the heart crystal in his hand. Uranus tensed as she let her gaze harden on the crimson Rider. Neptune wanted to move forward, but she knew how powerful Kabtuo was. It was best to see what he was going to do. He did have Elsa's heart in the palm of his hand.

After a moment of keeping his eyes trained on the crystal, Kabuto looked up to the two Outer Scouts, "This is not the heart you are looking for."

Uranus frowned. Now she knew that she was wasting her time. While she didn't trust Riders as far as she could throw them, she had little reason to distrust Kabuto. He obviously had no interest in the talismans. All he seemed to care about was the people who were victimized by the Deathbusters.

With a casual flick of his hands, Kabuto sent the heart crystal soaring back to Elsa's body. As it vanished inside of her, the color returned to her skin. Her breathing also returned to normal as her heart was properly restored.

Kabuto nodded to himself before be turned his attention back to his fellow Rider and the other Sailor Scouts.

The battle was moving along, but not in the preferred direction. Hurdler was moving fast and was dodging every attack that the girls had sent at her. Hakabuto tried doing up close and personal, but she kept backing away or going around. He would have used Clock Up, but he wasn't getting the time or space since he was constantly on the move. He had the girl's attacks and Hurdler's running around to thank for that. The Daimon was difficult to keep an eye on.

"Ha!" Hurdler laughed as she skidded across the dirt while grabbing the chalk layer off her back. "HARD LINE!"

She swung the wheeled device and a blast of chalk shot out at the golden Rider. Since she was out of his eyesight, he hadn't managed to see her attack in time. In a single motion, the chalk became gooey before wrapping around him like a white ribbon.

"Rrrh!" Hakabuto grunted as he tried to pull away from the substance. It was proving futile as whatever the substance was made from was proving to be tough.

"Got you!" Hurdler giggled sinisterly.

"No!" Jupiter cried as she saw that her boyfriend was caught. She immediately charged forward and took a stance for one of her techniques. "_Jupiter Supreme Thunder Crash!_"

Hurlder saw the attack coming and immediately dashed out of the way. As she was running from the attack, her chalk ribbon continued to wrap around Hakabuto as she ran around him.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Hurdler laughed as she continued to run around her captured prey.

The other Scouts were quick to go with their friend as they tried to stop Hurdler so they could free Hakabuto. Unfortunately, Hurdler was still quick on her feet. They also had to be careful about how they tried to attack since Hurdler could trick them into firing and have them hit Hakabuto instead.

"Forget this," Mars frowned. "I'm going in!"

"Huh?" Sailor Moon blinked. "But what if you get caught too?"

"We'll have to take the risk," Mars retorted. "Hakabuto would do the same for us!"

"She's got a point," Sailor Venus nodded. "He would do the same for us."

"I have to agree," Sailor Mercury added.

Mars nodded to her friends before she eyed where Hakabuto was being held. His arms were pinned so the Clock Up system and his finisher system were out of reach. Hurdler was behind Hakabuto, which meant that the way was clear for the time being. Seeing this as her chance, Mars charged.

"No way!" Hurdler cried. She immediately started running again. She kept the ribbon in her hand as she started dashing towards Sailor Mars. The Scout of Mars saw her coming, but she was coming too fast to react in time.

"Hah!" Hurdler cried as she got Mars trapped in her ribbon, and pressing her against Hakabuto. They were now both trapped by the white ribbon.

"Well that worked fine," Hakabuto sighed. Things were starting to get tense. The other Scouts couldn't risk an attack since Hurdler could dodge them with her speed or even use her hostages as human shields. However, one Rider didn't have the same problem.

Kabuto watched the battle and decided that it was time for him to intervene. He calmly started walking towards the battle as he raised his hand into the air. The air rippled in his palm before there was a flash of light. As it died down, the Hyper Zector could be seen clamped in his fingers. The crimson Rider then attached the device to his belt with practiced ease.

"Hyper Cast Off," Kabuto called as he pressed the horn down.

"HYPER CAST OFF!" the upgraded Zector called out as the energy began to course through Kabuto's body.

The power ripped through Kabuto's armor as the changes took place. His armor bulked out and changed to a new form. The change was completed as his visor flashed. "CHANGE HYPER BEETLE!" the Hyper Zector announced. Hyper Kabuto continued walking. He held his arm forward as he began calling another piece of equipment. Behind him, the air began to ripple again as the Perfect Zector flew out towards Hyper Kabuto.

As Uranus saw the Perfect Zector flying towards Hyper Kabuto, she made her move. She dashed forwards and grabbed the sword before it could reach Hyper Kabuto. Smiling triumphantly, she then started to take the sword with her to Neptune, shouting, "I got it! I got it!" it was either her happiness from gaining one of the 'talismans' or that she had stolen the sword from Kabuto. Whatever the case, the sword would not be going anywhere without her.

Uranus was about to make a break for it when she felt her hands start jerking as the sword struggled in her grip. "What the!?" she shouted as the sword continued to struggle, dragging her away from Neptune and towards Hyper Kabuto. Neptune grew alarmed.

"Uranus, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Help me with this thing!" Uranus yelled. "It's like it has a mind of its own!"

Neptune was perplexed. They were never told that a talisman could resist. Regardless, she grabbed onto the sword and helped Uranus keep hold of it. Unfortunately, this just made the Perfect Zector struggle harder as it pulled, dragging them with it. With a final tug, the Perfect Zector freed itself from the two Outers' grip, before landing into Hyper Kabuto's hand as it was meant to be.

Hyper Kabuto gripped the sword and then folded in the guards before folding the handle so that it was at a 90 degree angle with the blade. When he finished the adjustments, the Perfect Zector now resembled a large gun. Uranus and Neptune looked surprised at how Hyper Kabuto easily changed the 'sacred' weapon.

The yellow 'barrel' of the Perfect Zector began to pulse and give off yellow energy. It was almost as if it was calling something. In response to the pulses, a buzzing could be heard. Mars noticed something in the corner of her eye and saw the Drake Zector flying towards them. Her eyes widened in surprise. Was Chad here? He had to be if the Drake Zector was on its way. They would need his help for this battle.

However, Chad wasn't the one to receive the Drake Zector. Instead it was Hyper Kabuto as the Drake Zector attached itself to the Perfect Zecter. Kabuto could do that?

Hyper Kabuto trained his eyes on Hurdler and aimed. The Daimon had quickly taken notice of this. She began to frown deeply as she stared down the barrel of the weapon aimed at her. Kabuto remained silent as he pressed the blue button. "DRAKE POWER!" the Perfect Zector announced before he pulled the trigger. The Perfect Zector then announced, "HYPER SHOOTING!" and fired a red orb of crackling energy at the Daimon. The Scouts were sure he would be able to finish the Daimon off with this but unfortunately their celebrations were halted as Hurdler dodged out of the way using her superior speed.

"Hah, you missed!" she taunted before she charged at Hyper Kabuto, ready to put him down. He didn't move from his spot but instead pointed behind her.

"Look again," he said. The Daimon gave him a puzzled look before looking and her eyes widened as she saw the orb hovering in the air firing a multitude of homing lasers at her. She tried to escape them, but the laser followed her before raining into her.

"AAAARRRGGHHHHH!!!" she screamed as the lasers rained on her body. She was soon vaporized by the massive amount of firepower.

Eudial gasped as she saw the Daimon vanish in the haze of the explosions. The dust cleared up and Hurdler was gone. All that was left was a track and field hurdle. A Daimon seed fell out of the object before cracking and releasing the black phantom inside. This one gave a small shriek of pain before vanishing.

"Woah," Eudial blinked as she lowered her camera. Kabuto had just taken Hurdler down in one shot. She gulped to herself before she higtailed it back to her car and sped off as fast as the engine could take her.

Both Hakabuto and Mars breathed sighs of relief and the ribbon began to dissolve. When they were both free, they went to rejoin the other Scouts.

Hyper Kabuto raised the Perfect Zector and hefted it on his shoulder. He turned to look at the two Outer Scouts. Neptune looked rather disappointed, but Uranus looked pretty close to livid.

"You better say goodbye to that sword, Kabuto," she frowned. "We are going to take it."

"Grandmother said this," Hyper Kabuto spoke. "The things we are destined for will eventually come to us. If we are unworthy then we will not be able keep them."

Uranus scowled and leapt away along with Neptune following in tow. Kabuto knew they wouldn't be giving up anytime soon and now he knew they were targeting the Perfect Zector. It was a good thing that the Perfect Zector had been programmed with an AI that easily recognized Kabuto as its wielder.

The Scouts all approached him, impressed by the Perfect Zector. Serena and Rini had told the others about it before but this was actually the first time they ever saw it.

"That is quite an impressive weapon," Mercury stated, her eyes studying it.

"I'll say!" Venus agreed excitedly. "He just went 'bang' and the Daimon went 'boom'!" As simplistic as that sounded, it basically summed up the power of the Perfect Zector.

"But I thought it was only a sword," Sailor Moon said, remembering that she had seen Kabuto wield the Perfect Zector as such.

Mars then asked, "So, how come Drake's Zector is attached to it?"

Kabuto turned to face Mars before he gave his answer, "The Perfect Zector allows me to harness the powers of three other Riders. Drake is one of those three."

"So who are the other two?" asked Jupiter.

"You'll see in time," Kabuto shrugged.

A soft moan caught everyone's attention. Elsa was slowly awakening from the coma that Eudial had inflicted on her. The Scouts were quick to get to her side to make sure she was okay. Hakabuto and Hyper Kabuto followed.

Elsa's eyes opened slowly and strained to focus for a moment. As she got her sight back, she found herself surrounded by the concerned faces of the Sailor Scouts and the armored forms of Hakabuto and Hyper Kabuto.

"Uh," she blushed as she saw the golden form of Hakabuto, her crush, looking at her.

"Are you okay?" Sailor Moon asked in concern.

Elsa looked to the ponytailed blonde before nodding sheepishly. Kabuto, seeing she was okay, got up and turned to where Uranus and Neptune were standing a moment ago. To no one's surprise, they were long gone. The Scouts soon noticed this.

"You know," Venus frowned. "As annoying as they are, they make some good backup in case we need it. Otherwise Eudial might have gotten the heart crystal."

"Yeah, but their attitudes need a readjustment," Mars pointed out.

"Too true," Hakabuto agreed.

Hyper Kabuto remained silent as he continued staring at where the two Scouts had stood a moment ago. It seemed things were getting interesting. They had apparently mistaken the Perfect Zector for one of these talismans that they were searching for. Uranus and Neptune were going to become more annoying in the future.

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Eudial managed to slip away, undetected, from the Scouts and Riders. It would be extremely troublesome if she were ever caught. Luckily, she was a sneaky one and managed to escape while the Scouts' attention was diverted towards Kabuto's weapon.

Despite the failure of the mission, she was able to record some very valuable data on Hyper Kabuto's weapon, the Perfect Zector. The Professor would no doubt want to see this.

"I'm home," Eudial said as she arrived in the lab. The Professor was sitting at his chair, arms crossed, waiting.

"No heart crystal again, I presume?" the Professor inquired. Eudial shook her head. The Professor sighed. "Back to the drawing board, I suppose."

Eudial smiled and said, "Well, I did manage to record this," before showing the Professor the tape. The Professor had a curious look on his face as Eudial headed towards the computer and inserted the cassette. The computer then played the video Eudial fast forwarded it to the part she wanted the Professor to see. His eyes widened gleefully.

"Amazing weapon," the Professor said as he watched Hyper Kabuto convert the Perfect Zector into Gun Mode before the Drake Zector attached itself to it. "So, this sword can also double as a gun and siphon powers from the small insect-like devices used by the Riders." He frowned. "And it gives them an edge when fighting our Daimon," he continued watching as he saw the Daimon becoming vaporized by the 'Hyper Shooting'.

Eudial rewound the tape to when Uranus tried to steal it. "Those two other Scouts seem to suspect that the sword is one of those talismans. Maybe it is."

"Maybe, but even if it isn't, if we manage to grab it then we'll be unstoppable," the Professor commented. He saw Hyper Kabuto in action and made mental notes towards the files that he had made for each Rider. That level of power that the upgraded Rider possessed appeared off the charts. If they wanted to understand that power, they needed something from their 'guest'. No time like the present. He ordered Eudial, "Eudial, our guest is currently napping. Maybe now is the time to make a grab."

Eudial gasped and protested, "But, sir! He's a monster and-" The Professor gave her a look. He didn't like being disobeyed. "Can't the others do it?"

"If they were here, I would, but unfortunately the rest are on other assignments."

Eudial frowned and said, "Very well."

She went to where the large cage was placed. It was barely intact as the bars were slightly bent from when their 'guest' had tried to escape. He never got out, fortunately, but it still worried her.

He looked so much like one of the Riders, despite the different color scheme. He was wild and dangerous. They were barely able to subdue him the first time.

Eudial entered the code on an access panel before opening the door. True to the Professor's claim, he was asleep since the yellow eyes were dim and not glowing as usual. Gulping, she slowly approached him. He was lying on his back so Eudial kneeled and reached towards his waist where the object was located.

That was when his eyes sprang to life.

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The wall of the Professor's lab exploded as a dark figure walked out of the hole. Its eyes were glowing brightly as it looked at the darkened sky and roared, "KABUTO!!!" He then vanished with the announcement of, "CLOCK UP!"

The Professor dashed into the lab at the sounds of destruction. He turned to the hole that was in his wall. He turned to see what had happened and he found Eudial sprawled out on the ground.

"Eudial!" the Professor shouted as he crawled through the hole in the wall.

The redheaded Deathbuster groaned and slowly got herself onto her knees. She was covered in dirt and there was a bruise beginning to form on her neck. She coughed slightly as she tried to catch her breath.

"What happened?" the Professor asked sternly.

"-cough- He was faking!" Eudial snapped. "He pretended to be asleep! He waited for me to come in before he slugged me and ran off!"

The Professor cursed under his breath. A whole avenue of research just broke out. There was a lot of progress made, but there was supposed to be more if they really wanted to make it into something that could be used against the Riders.

"The research is still safe," Eudial continued. "He didn't even touch the computers. It looked like he just wanted out."

"Good," the Professor nodded. "At least this venture wasn't a complete waste. When the others return, I want you all to go through the data on what we received from our guest and what we have on the other Riders. I expect some kind of report by the end of the week."

"Yes, Professor," Eudial nodded as the man walked away.

Eudial felt like she wanted to barf. The guest had punched her in the stomach while he practically choked the life out of her. The others of the Witches 5 were never going to let her hear the end of it. Of course, she didn't care about that since there was something worse that terrified her.

Dark Kabuto, a monster, was loose.

To Be Continued…

A/N: At long last, an update! Salutations to all my fans who were waiting for the next chapter. I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone. Well, the Perfect Zector appears again and Hyper Shooting blows a Daimon to atoms. Also, Uranus and Neptune have made a play for the Perfect Zector. More conflicts to come! My thanks to ZK Chromedragozoid for helping me out and beta reading.


	20. The Face Behind the Mask

I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am writing this for fun and I am not getting paid for my services. If you have a problem with the story then just don't read it.

Kamen Moon Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 19: The Face Behind the Mask, Michelle's Discovery!

The rain was falling all over the Juuban district. Thunder crashed overhead as the denizens tried to get out of the falling water. The ground was already saturated with the moisture along with everything else. Inside of an alley, a normal alley cat was digging through one of the trash cans. It looked a little scraggly and thin as it tried to find something to eat for itself. The rain just helped keep other things that might dig through the trash away.

"CLOCK OVER!"

The loud cry and the sudden appearance of someone in a suit of black armor scared the stray cat, making it run with a loud screech.

Dark Kabuto leaned on a stone wall, panting slightly. He was feeling weak and he hated that feeling. His captors had been cruel to him. They would use gasses to keep him stunned so they could study his armor. They would also pit him against monsters just to see how he could fight. They would tempt him with food so he would remove his Zector. He wasn't fooled though. They wanted his Zector so they could study it and take it apart. Since he wouldn't change back, he couldn't eat so he was starving.

Hunger was only one of the things on his mind at the moment. Part of his rage was being taken away from the one person that was precious to him. Hiyori. She was the one who freed him from his prison before they ended up at the Edge of Time and Space. Even though he did not see him, he still knew that Kabuto was somehow involved.

"That dirty fake," Dark Kabuto growled. "I'll make him pay for taking me away from her!"

He punched the wall and it cracked underneath the force of the blow. He then released a suffering sigh before his Zector leaped off his belt and buzzed away. The Dark Kabuto armor vanished to reveal a man who was the spitting image of Tendou standing in the dark Rider's place. He may have looked like Tendou, but his name was Souji Kusakabe.

Souji felt tears dripping down his face as he finally lost himself in his grief. Why was his life filled with pain? His early memories were filled with pain and misery. He recalled the prison where he was chained like an animal until Hiyori found him. They both vanished to the Edge of Time and Space, but then Kabuto came. As much as Souji hated the one who wore his face, he hated him more because he was a threat to Hiyori's safety and happiness. Souji had sworn a long time ago that he would protect the sole good thing in his life…but now that he was taken away from her, he didn't know what to do.

He was lost and alone in a world that he had no true place in. However, he could feel a familiar presence within this alien world. It was the presence of the man he hated the most. He knew Kabuto was here, as well as the other Riders. His captors often talked about the Riders and if what they said was true, then Kabuto had appeared in this place.

Souji's lips curled into a cruel grin. He could imagine the look on Tendou's face as he revealed himself. However, right now, that was not the primary focus in his mind. He was starving and so he needed food.

He walked out of the alley and walked through the streets. The rain kept falling, matting his hair against his face but he paid no mind. He was in pain and hungry, and also needed warmth and clothing. However, he had no money in this world. Back in the Edge of Time and Space, he didn't need any of those commodities. Well, he didn't need money, but the Edge of Time and Space did not require the need for currency. Food was always plentiful, plus he had Hiyori. What more could he want?

He passed by a bread shop. It was closed for the night. He eyed the bread hungrily. He wanted it and he wanted it now!

Reeling back his fist, he then smashed the glass with a powerful punch. He then walked through the broken window and began to feed himself.

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The very next day, while Lita was on her way to school with Yagami, they noticed a crowd surrounding a shop. There was also a police line and the local authorities were performing crowd control.

"Wonder what's going on?" Lita asked.

"Well, we could find out, but then we'd be late," Yagami spoke. "But, then again…"

The couple approached the crowd and from what they could see was that the bread shop had been broken into.

"A robbery no doubt," Yagami frowned.

"The things people would do for money," Lita sighed. "Come on, Kira-kun, let's go before we're late. I don't want to get bucket duty again."

Yagami smiled and nodded before following his girlfriend towards school.

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A while after school…

There was another study session scheduled at Serena's house and everyone had come over to get some work done. Serena had set up a small table for everyone to lay their work on while they read and currently everyone was there. Amy and Raye were seated at one end of the table while Mina was at the other. Luna and Artemis were laying on Serena's pillow, bored with their day. Lita and Yagami were sitting on the bed with the brunette leaning on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"You know," Raye teased. "If you two got any sweeter together we would have to get checkups at the dentist for cavities."

"Hey, we can be as sweet as we want," Yagami laughed. "So will you if you can get Chad to fess up to you."

"You think?" Raye pondered as she turned a cute shade of pink.

"Definitely," Mina nodded. "You gotta be forward or it will never happen!"

"Has that ever worked for you before?" Amy wondered. She was thinking about the failed attempts Mina had made at relationships in the past.

"Ha! It sure has! Tsurugi hasn't turned me down!" Mina smiled brightly. "We're meant to be!"

Yagami shivered at the thought. Most likely, Tsurugi was just being polite like his upbringing had demanded of him. Yagami had seen it for himself when the scorpion Rider was out in public. He acted polite and confident…unless Tendou was around. Then he just returned to being the same competitive guy the other Riders knew him as.

"So…uh," Yagami sweatdropped as he tried to change the subject. "Did you all hear about that break-in at the bakery? Lita-chan and I saw all the commotion."

"I heard," Amy nodded. "It wasn't the only place either. Some department stores were hit and some of their merchandise was stolen too."

"Really?" asked Mina. "Like what?"

"That's the odd thing," Amy replied. "They didn't take anything valuable. Just some clothes were stolen and that was it. Come to think of it, the news said that the only things missing from the bakery were several loaves of bread."

"That's odd," Raye frowned. "Don't thieves usually take the valuable stuff for cash?"

"Yeah," Lita nodded. "Why would anyone break into places just to steal food and clothes?"

"Because they were hungry and cold?" asked Yagami. He earned strange glances from the girls. "What? Why else would they take those things and not money?"

Any further speculation was cut off when Serena came into the room holding a pie in her hands. She had a bright smile on her face as she placed it down on the table.

"Ta-da!" she smiled brightly. "A delicious apple pie ready for everyone!"

"Where did you get this pie, Serena?" asked Luna.

"I sure hope YOU didn't make it," Artemis added.

"No," Serena answered as she began to cut into the pie. "I found it in the oven. I think my mom made it for us."

"Wait," Yagami frowned. "You THINK your mom made it? You just found it in the oven? Serena, what makes you so sure that your mom did make it for us?"

"Why not?" Serena blinked innocently. "No one else can make pies here. I don't think she has plans either."

"Seems okay to me Kira-kun," Lita shrugged.

"Especially since we can eat it without fear," Raye nodded.

"It wouldn't be good to get sick while studying for the exams," Amy nodded in agreement.

Serena stiffened from her cutting and looked up. With the dark look in her eyes and the knife in her hand, she looked a little creepy, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Uh…never mind," Lita sweatdropped as she handed out slices of pie. "C'mon everyone. I bet it's good!"

Everyone did dig into the pie rather quickly. After a few bites, they found that it was actually very good. There were a lot of apples crammed into it, but it was very sweet and well-made. Everyone was quickly getting something good to say about the pie.

"Hey, Serena," a familiar child-like voice cried out. "Have you or the others seen that pie I left in the oven?"

Rini walked into the room and instantly froze as she saw the pastry being eaten by her friends. She was still for a moment before she began trembling, "Oh no! My pie! I worked so hard on it!"

"Ulp," Serena gulped guiltily.

"You mean…" Amy began.

"This wasn't…" Mina continued.

"Something safe to eat?" Lita finished.

"I told you, Serena," Yagami sighed in agitation. He somehow saw this coming and he still dug into the pie without a care in the world. Still, it was a very good pie.

"How do you guys plan to take responsibility for this?" Rini asked as she folded her arms. She was pretty upset about losing the pie that she had made.

"Don't worry, Rini," Raye smiled as she stood up. "In the name of Mars, I'll punish Serena for you."

The miko calmly walked to Serena's side of the table before calmly flicking Serena in the forehead. The blonde fell back and hit her head on the ground, not expecting the movement from her friend.

"Oooooh!" Rini moaned. "I wanted Masinori to have some of this too!"

"Huh?" Serena blinked as she sat up. "Who's Masinori?"

"Huh? Oh, no one," Rini blushed. She looked around frantically before looking at a clock. "Oh look at the time. I have to go."

The pink-haired child left the room so fast Yagami would have sworn she was in Clock Up speed. Of course, no one had much of an opportunity to say anything before she popped back into the room.

"Serena! I'll have you make up for this later!" she said sternly before she dashed out the door again.

All of the girls blinked at the odd statement. Normally Rini wasn't one to get excited about little things like a pie unless she was racing Serena to see who could eat it first. Yagami just sighed as he popped his last piece into his mouth.

"I hope you learned a lesson from this, Serena," he stated plainly. "Don't go taking things without permission."

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Rini was skipping through the streets, on her way to an art class she'd signed up in her never ending quest to make friends. Though one of her favorite Riders was in her house right now, she had something more important to do. She was still mad at Serena for taking the pie she had made, but she was still in too much of a good mood to give the event much thought.

There was a boy in her class whom she was crushing on and he loved to make art. She thought that maybe by showing interest, he would show interest in her. It was currently the reason why she was signed up for a sculpting course.

Of course, if she'd been watching where she was going, she would've noticed someone walking her way.

"Ouch!" Rini let out as she fell after bumping into the person. "Hey!" She then looked up and blushed. "Oh, Tendou, it's you." She smiled as she stood up. "Where are you off to?"

Tendou didn't give a response and looked at her silently. The stare was making her a little nervous, though.

"Well, I'm gonna be late. It was great seeing you!" Rini waved before running past Tendou.

Whom she had bumped into, was not Tendou, rather his look-alike. Souji watched as the girl ran off towards the opposite direction. He was half tempted to follow her. She knew Kabuto!

Souji then just shook his head. Despite his hatred for Kabuto, he would never harm a young child. Putting his hands in his pockets, he walked silently into the crowd. He had better things to do at the moment. He had to find out where he was, make sure to survive, and find a safe place to call home before he went after Kabuto again.

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Rini continued her path down the streets as she ran towards her art class. She didn't want to be late and miss Masinori! She was just lucky that it was such a short run away from her home. Otherwise she might have been late like Serena was most of the time. She rounded a corner and ran towards a building that was painted blue with a brick wall surrounding it.

At the front gate to the property, there was a boy leaning against the wall. He looked to be Rini's age with brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a pair of jeans and whit button-up shirt. Strangely enough, he was also holding a bundle of roses in his arms. He looked strangely nervous about something.

"Masinori?" Rini pondered out loud. She hadn't seen her crush look so nervous before. Was something wrong? She wasn't sure, but she really wanted to find out. Taking advantage of some garbage piled up near a pole, Rini hid behind it to see what was happening.

Neither Rini nor Masinori had to wait long before someone else began walking towards the school. Masinori gasped as he heard the person coming while Rini strained to see who it was without getting picked out.

As the person came closer, it was obvious that they were female. She was wearing a sky blue dress with a darker blue sash tied up around her waist. She looked very feminine as the sunlight made her look like a true princess. However, one of the most noticeable things about her was her shoulder-length aquamarine hair.

"Here I go," Masinori breathed. He clenched the roses in his arms. Bravely, he stepped out into the sidewalk and planted himself in front of this older woman. "Miss Kaioh!"

"Hm?" the now confirmed Michelle blinked as Masinori appeared in front of her. "Ah, hello, Masinori. Is there something you need?"

"Um," Masinori gulped. He had rehearsed this all in his head and he was sure that he had gotten what he wanted to say down, but now he just wasn't sure if he could get his mouth to work. In the end, he decided to go for broke and handed the roses out to her. "Here! For you!"

"Oh my!" Michelle gasped. She smiled gently as she picked up the bouquet from Masinori's hands. "They're lovely. Thank you."

"They…they represent my feelings," Masniori choked out. Why was this so hard? It sounded much better when he practiced.

"I see," Michelle smiled. "Thank you."

The beautiful young woman leaned down to Masinori's level and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Masinori's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he felt her tender kiss touch him. It felt really good and it was getting increasingly hard to keep thinking straight.

For her own part, Rini thought her own world was crumbling apart. Here she found a really cute guy for herself and he was crushing on a different girl. Life just wasn't fair! Still, seeing Michelle kiss him like that give rise to the young girl's anger and jealousy. As she was growling and trying not to yell, she accidentally knocked a can over, making noise.

"Hm?" Michelle looked over Masinari and saw Rini. "Ah, hello Rini."

"Ah, uh," Rini gulped. She had been busted and now she might get chewed out for it.

"We should really get going," Michelle smiled as she turned towards the building. "We don't want to be late do we?"

"R-right!" Masinori nodded as he began walking beside Michelle towards the art school. His movements were stiff since he was nervous about being so close to Michelle after confessing his feelings.

Rini just sighed and stood up, "I can't let this get me down!"

She then raced after the two towards the school. She wasn't going to lose Masinori to Michelle!

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"Ooooh, why are we doing this?" Serena moaned as she walked down the road in the direction of the art school Rini had enlisted in.

After some discussion, the girls had agreed that they had to do something to repay Rini for eating the pie she had made. Still, they agreed that Serena was mostly at fault for just taking the pie without asking Kira actually had the best idea that they make a new pie for Rini to say they were sorry. They had to call Darien to get the ingredients while they prepared, but in the end, with Lita's guidance, they had a nice and warm apple pie ready for eating. Serena had been voted to deliver it while Darien and Yagami were sent to make sure that it got there before Serena's stomach took over her mind again.

Currently, the blonde in question was holding the pie while her boyfriend and her friend followed behind her towards the school. Luna had even come along for extra assurance that the pie would survive the trip.

"Because we all agreed that you have the most blame for Rini losing her pie," Yagami answered for what felt like the hundredth time.

"How was I supposed to know that it was hers?" Serena whined. "I didn't know she could make pies that good!"

"Well maybe if you took the time to be better friends rather than fight with her you'd know these things," Luna answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Mnnnn!" Serena groaned sadly.

"It's okay, Serena," Darien smiled, trying to sound like a good guy. "It was just an honest mistake. We can just give this pie to her and hopefully she will forgive you."

"You really think so, Darien?" Serena asked.

"Rini doesn't strike me as the vindictive type," Yagami agreed. "So long as the people responsible have the guts to apologize."

Serena didn't seem to brighten up a little before she and her traveling companions continued on their way. It was good that Serena knew the way there since her mother had forced her to go with Rini the first few times. Because Serena just wanted to get the job done, she didn't let herself get distracted and they arrived in god time.

"Not a bad looking place," Yagami observed casually as the three of them stood in front of the building.

"Yeah," Darien agreed. "It's nice Rini wants to learn about art. This place looks like it does well."

"Well, let's go in and see what the big deal is," Serena said before entering, with Darien and Yagami in tow.

Watching from afar was Tendou's Worm duplicate, the bearer of the Dark Kabuto Zector. He had changed his mind earlier and watched as the girl Rini entered the building. She knew about Kabuto so maybe if he followed her he would eventually find his most hated rival. These people were familiar with the oddly pink-haired girl, so they may know as well. This would require further investigation in his part.

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Meanwhile, Eudial was pacing back and forth. Their research involving the Zectors was still underway but without the subject, research had been going much slower than they hoped. They did have enough for experiments but as of now, testing would be halted. The Professor had shifted their primary focus in search of the Talismans and right now, Eudial was looking through photos of possible targets.

Her eyes then upon a very promising target. "Hm…an artist. One of considerable skill despite his young age. Someone like this should have a very pure heart."

And maybe she could get more data on the Riders while she was at it. Two for the price of one.

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"Look at all these paintings!" said Serena as she Yagami and Darien walked along the hallways. The walls were decorated with hung paintings, all painted by students at the school. While a few were sloppy, as expected of younger children, some of them were actually quite well done. "Look at this one!"

"The students here seem to be pretty talented," appraised Yagami.

"That's right," said Darien.

"I bet I can paint something just as good!" boasted Serena.

Yagami grimaced a bit. He remembered one time in art class when Serena tried to be a little bit…creative.

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Flashback…

_Serena was showing off a painting she'd made in art class. Unfortunately none of her friends knew what she'd painted. There was a myriad of colors slopped all over the canvas in masses of black, white, or red. Ami thought she could see a face, but perhaps it was just her._

"_So, what do you think?" asked Serena._

"_It's very…um…interesting," said Ami. 'What is it supposed to be?'_

"_Yeah, it's nice. I like the splashes of color here and there," said Lita. 'Did she just spill paint all over it?'_

"_Yeah, nice abstract art," said Yagami._

"_Abstract? It's a picture of Tuxedo Mask!" said Serena._

_She kept insisting it was a portrait, but her friends couldn't see it._

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"Yeah, you could," Yagami lied. Yagami had painted something that day too. A picture of Lita and she'd loved it. It had been a picture of her in a green ballroom gown in a starry background inside a palace. It had taken him a week to get sketches of those images right. He had to go through women's magazines to find the right style and look up images from anime to get the palace. He even went to Michelle for pointers. Despite the obvious effort and affection he put into it, the painting itself wasn't anything incredible like what Michelle had made nor would it hang on a museum wall, but it was with Lita. He'd given it to her as a present.

"So, where is Rini anyway?" asked Serena, looking to the other classrooms where students were working on their art.

"I suppose we could check with the person who runs the school," Darien suggested, not having the foggiest as to which room to check first.

"I found her!" Luna spoke quietly, catching the trio's attention. The black cat was peeking inside of a door. The three friends looked through the crack and found that Luna was right. Inside was none other than Rini working on what looked like a clay sculpture of a grail of some kind. She seemed to be having trouble though. It wasn't too bad for someone her age, but she seemed to be putting a lot of effort into it.

"Wow, she's not bad," Yagami muttered. "Is she new at this?"

"I can't be sure," Darien answered. "She might have started back at her home. It is good though."

"It doesn't seem so great to me," Serena huffed. "I can't even tell what it is!"

"That's because you aren't paying attention," Luna huffed.

The apple pie momentarily forgotten, the three people and one cat watched as Rini interacted with a boy next to her. He was working on a clay sculpture of an angel and despite being the same age as Rini, it was infinitely more detailed and finely crafted. The boy was indeed skilled.

"This isn't turning out as well as I hoped," Rini huffed, wiping some sweat from her brow. Who knew sculpting was so hard?

"Well, I think it looks good," the boy spoke. "It's a grail of some kind, isn't it?"

"Yup!" Rini smiled, a flush on her face. "A holy grail! I saw it in a picture in my mom's room once and I always thought how cool it would be to have one of my own. Still…it isn't coming out like I pictured it."

"Ah, I see," the boy nodded, taking a lump of spare clay before adding it to the sculpture. "Well, if you do this…and this…" His hands went to work, adding much better detail to the sculpture as Rini described what she had in mind.

"Wow, he's really good," the four observers gasped as they watched the boy work. Who knew someone this young had that kind of skill?

As the two children worked, they spotted someone walking towards them holding a bucket filled with cleaned brushes. She was wearing a lovely blue dress which accented her hair so nicely.

"Michelle?" Serena blinked.

"Masinori," Michelle spoke gently as she approached the two kids. "Remember not to help out too much with Rini's project."

"O-oh, r-right," the boy, Masinori gasped with a blush on his face.

"Otherwise, keep up the good work," the older girl smiled. "I look forward to competing with you both in the future." She then left with her brushes, assumedly to work on her painting skills.

"Wow, what a wonderful person," Masinori sighed goofily as he watched Michelle leave.

'_Ooooh!_' Rini frowned with a clenched fist. '_Michelle, I haven't lost to you yet! I'll earn Masinori's love no matter what!_"

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Someone else had entered the art school as well. It was Tendou, or at least looked like Tendou. It was actually his Worm duplicate, Souji, and at the moment he was appraising the same paintings Yagami and the others had seen. Souji smiled. The paintings reminded him of his dear sister, Hiyori. Hiyori too loved to draw and she drew for him. Her drawings were fantastic and deserved to be on this wall as well.

That little pink-haired girl, Rini, knew Tendou and so Souji decided to come and see if Tendou might show up. He wouldn't harm the child, no, but Tendou and any other Riders who got in his way would be fair game. He knew who the others Riders were but didn't care to engage them lest they got in his way.

For now, he would continue to look at the paintings. They had a calming influence on him.

A door opening caught his attention and he turned slightly to see who it was. Stepping out was a young woman in a blue dress and had aquamarine hair. An odd color, but Souji was used to odd things. She was also carrying a bucket with paintbrushes in it. She walked out of the room and turned down the hall, before her eyes landed on Souji and she froze.

Michelle looked at the man who had entered the school. At first she assumed him to be Tendou…but the feeling she got…this man was anything but. A deep negativity swirled around him like a maelstrom. It…scared her. It was times like this that she desperately wished that Haruka was nearby.

Souji eyed the young woman who was staring at him. There was something about her, something special. Of course not as special as Hiyori was. Still, when he looked at her, he thought of sparkling oceans and calm rivers. Soothing to be sure, but one never knew when they were dealing with people.

Deciding to ignore her, Souji turned his attention back to the paintings. He heard the young woman give off a soft sigh of apparent relief before walking away.

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"Yo, Rini!" greeted Yagami as he made his presence known. Rini jumped in surprise and then beamed when she saw one of her idols, the civilian form of Kamen Rider Hakabuto.

"Kira!" Rini exclaimed. She then saw Darien and Serena. "Oh, and Darien too." She glowered at Serena. "Oh…and you too." She still felt a little bitter about what happened earlier with the pie.

"Come on," Yagami urged the odango-haired blonde.

Sighing, Serena approached Rini and bowed her head. "I'm sorry about before and to make it up for it I've brought you a new apple pie."

"Wow," Rini blinked. "Thanks Serena."

"Rini, who are these people?" Masinori asked.

Blushing, Rini answered, "Oh, this is my older sister Serena, her boyfriend Darien and their friend Kira."

Masinori bowed and greeted, "Nice to meet you all."

"Polite kid," said Yagami.

"Yeah, nothing like Rini," agreed Serena.

"Hey!" Rini stomped on Serena's foot.

"Ow! Why you little-!" Serena was held back by Darien.

"Now, Serena, you came to make amends," he reminded.

"Right, right," the blonde sighed. Facing Rini, but not quite looking at her, she spoke "Rini made this pie for class today but it wasn't finished by the time she had to leave, so we volunteered to bring it over, so…" Serena finished by placing the pie in Rini's hands. "Enjoy. I'm sure Masinori will like some too."

"Umm," Rini blushed. She hadn't counted on being able to use her pie plan. Still, now that she had Michelle as competition, this was a blessing in disguise. "…thanks."

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Eudial drove in her usual style, crazy. She swerved and let the pedal hit the floor as she raced through the streets. Really, her driving was the only thing that was aggressive about her. Of course, she had to move fast or else she might miss the target she was after.

After racing past another red light, she glanced at the iron crate in the back. A Daimon packaged by Professor Tomoe, ready to be released. Knowing her luck, that would probably be happening again.

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"Something's bothering you," Haruka spoke softly.

Haruka was dressed in a loose white button up shirt with her biking pants on. She had come by to visit Michelle and just enjoy each other's company like a couple should. Things were going fine and Haruka teased her about the roses she had received from the Masinori boy. It really was a cute and heartfelt declaration of affection. Too bad Michelle was spoken for. However, when she came back, Michelle seemed almost shell-shocked. Usually Michelle had a steady hand and utmost confidence in painting. However, her hand was trembling and she had broken out in a cold sweat.

"There is," Michelle said softly. "A man was admiring the pictures out in the main hallway. Really his resemblance to Tendou was amazing."

"But it wasn't him?" Haruka blinked.

"No. Not in the least," Michelle shivered. "I just had this…feeling. It was almost like I could feel every ounce of despair he faced in his life even at the distance we were at. It was…pouring out of his eyes. I was almost afraid he was going to do something."

"Did he?" asked Haruka in concern.

"No," Michelle answered, shaking her head. "He just turned his attention back to the paintings."

"Should I go see this guy myself?" Haruka offered.

"It's okay," Michelle smiled. "I would really prefer if you stayed with me right now. You can deal with him if you crossed paths."

"I'm always here for you," Haruka sighed softly, wrapping her arms around Michelle's waist and resting her head in her lover's aquamarine hair. Only when she did that did Michelle's trembling cease and the cold sweat stop.

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"How do you like the pie?" asked Rini hopefully.. Serena, Darien, Yagami and Luna decided to leave the two kids be. Although Serena wanted to play cupid (Rini could see it in her eyes) Yagami and Darien opted to let nature take its course and let Rini fly solo. She'd have to make something nice for themlater.

"It's really delicious," said Masinori, folding the napkin he used to eat the pie with. "Thank you." He smiled, making Rini blush.

"You're welcome," said Rini. Twiddling her fingers, she then asked, "So…what got you into art?"

"Why I got into art?" Masinori blinked. "Well…Hmmm…I've never thought about it before. It just seemed like something I could really enjoy myself with and it turned out I was right."

"Wow," Rini smiled dreamily.

CRASH!!!

Rini let out a scream

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Serena and the others had heard the loud crash as well. This caused Yagami to narrow his eyes. Not too far away, a buzzing noise was heard and Yagami caught the Hakabuto Zector as it flew into his hand.

"Sounds like trouble," Yagami said. "Let's go!" Darien nodded as well.

"I'll call the others," said Serena.

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The classroom was a mess with desks, clay, and broken glass scattered everywhere. Eudial had driven her car straight through the wall-sized windows in the classroom and parked on the polished wooden floors. Almost ignorant, the first of the Witches 5 exited her car and began looking around.

"Now where can he be?" she wondered.

Shuffling of desks caught her attention and she turned to see her target, Masinori, emerging with nothing but a few scuff marks from the impact.

"Aha!" Eudial declared. "There you are!"

"What?" Masinori gawked at the odd woman as she took a gun out of her car.

"Now, hold still!" She took aim and fired at the hapless boy, much to Rini's horror.

"Masinori!!!" Rini screamed as the shot collided with his chest, causing his heart crystal to be ejected. "No!" The boy fell unconscious as the heart crystal began floating to Eudial's awaiting hands.

"Come to mama," Eudial grinned as the crystal floated closer and closer towards her.

"CLOCK OVER!"

The heart crystal, which had been so close, was now out of her reach as Hakabuto suddenly appeared, clad in his golden armor, holding said crystal in his hand. His eyes were piercing down on Eudial who was bent over slightly to try and pluck the crystal.

"Sorry," the Rider apologized insincerely, "But this does not belong to you."

Rini shouted, "Hakabuto!" She was relieved to see one of the Big Three arrive.

"Damn you…" Eudial growled. Once again the Riders had come to hinder her work.

"Rini," Hakabuto said as he tossed the heart crystal towards the pink-haired girl. "Give it back to him."

Catching the heart crystal carefully in her hands, Rini nodded. Turning back to the enraged Eudial, Hakabuto prepared himself for a fight. The red-haired witch was really no threat on her own, all things considered. However, it was the fact that she always carried a Daimon around that did make her threatening. She was slowly getting up from where she was about to pluck the heart crystal and backing towards her car.

"So now you guys are attacking little kids?" Hakabuto frowned. "Are you that desperate for a win or what?"

"Who asked you?" Eudial frowned as she pulled out a familiar switch. Hitting the button, she cried out. "Okay! Appear my Daimon!"

Hakabuto tensed slightly as the back of Eudial's car opened, sending out a cloud of pink smoke. As the smoke cleared, a faintly visible female form stepped out. It had one blue boot and one white boot which could be the same for its hands, one blue and one white. It wore a yellow smock like the kind used by people who worked with clay. In its bi-colored hands were a long chisel and a large hammer. Its face was odd with its right side, the white one, being completely normal. However, the left side was blue with a large yellow eye, making it look like it was a piece of abstract art made by Picasso. It had green hair and a red hat to complete her ensemble.

"CHOKOKKER!" the Daimon cried out before striking a pose as if it were posing for a picture. Eudial likewise did a pose, just to accent her Daimon. To Hakabuto, it just made her look like a ditz. And blondes were supposed to be dumb?

"Yes, yes, that's very impressive," Hakabuto sighed as he took a stance. "Let's get to the kung fu fighting already!"

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Rini dashed away from the impending fight to where Masinori was laying on the ground, nearly unconscious. She had to get his heart crystal back before he suffered any longer. Dashing closer, she was cut off buy two blurs before she saw who they were, "Ah! Uranus! Neptune!"

"Hello there," Neptune nodded as Uranus crossed her arms. "While the dedication and affection you're showing the young man are admirable, we still need to see that heart crystal."

"NO! You can't have it!" Rini cried, hiding the crystal from sight.

"If it doesn't have a talisman in it then we'll give it back," Uranus tried to explain patiently. "We won't hurt it and we'll even put it back in the boy. No muss, no fuss."

Rini frowned at the pair, trying to figure out if they were lying or not. Still, she doubted that they'd let her pass if she tried to get around them. Without much of a choice, she reluctantly handed the crystal up to Neptune, who too great care in handling the precious item.

"Why is it people trust you more than me?" Uranus sighed as she eyed her partner.

"A gentle smile and kind words do wonders," Neptune smiled before she eyed the crystal. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head. "This isn't a talisman either."

"Damn," Uranus groaned before she looked to Rini. "Well, a deal's a deal kid. We'll put it back without a scratch on it."

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Hakabuto dodged to the side from the large hammer aimed for his head. He grimaced. This Daimon was tough but he bet that it couldn't match Clock Up speed. He reached to his belt, getting ready to go Clock Up, when Eudial took notice.

"Chokokker! Stop him from Clocking Up!" Eudial ordered.

"Huh?" Hakabuto gawked.

"CHOKOKKER!" the artistic Daimon bellowed, raising her hammer up while black electricity surged through it. "CLOCK DOWN!"

A bolt of electricity surged from the hammer and crashed into Hakabuto's chest. The gold Rider cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards. The black lightning surged through his armor and wrapped around his belt before vanishing. Grunting from the pain, Hakabuto managed to stay on his feet.

"Stop my Clock Up eh?" the teenage Rider frowned. He brought his hand down to his belt. "I don't think so! Clock Up!"

"ERROR!!"

"WHAT?!"

"Ah ha ha ha!" Eudial laughed wickedly, seeing that the augmentations to the Daimon genome had been effective. "This is an upgrade to all the Daimon we possess! Your greatest advantage over us is now useless! Feel the fruits of our Rider research!"

"Sure," Hakabuto frowned. Now this was a surprise. He wasn't sure how the Deathbusters did it, but they had managed to find a counter to the Clock Up system. Well, it sucked, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Taking the Daimon down was the first priority and figuring out how to stop the Clock Down attack could come later.

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Souji eyed the events from inside the hallway. His instincts and the information of those five hags were correct. There were Riders here. He didn't recognize this one, but he had to have information about Kabuto. Perhaps the red Rider would appear, but Souji wasn't a patient man and his blood was beginning to boil.

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Clocked Down, Hakabuto was having difficulties with the Daimon. It wasn't giving him an opening to launch a counterattack or to use his finisher system since it kept throwing chisels at him. Strangely, it discarded its smock to reveal a feminine form covered in a myriad of colors, making her look like a twisted piece of art herself.

"Gah!" Hakabuto cried as several artistic tools crashed against his armor. Damn this Daimon could throw! It was like being hit by a pitch from a major league player! Grunting, he glared at the monster opposing him. "Okay, so you wanna play? Then let's play!"

Charging forward, Hakabuto tackled against the artistic Daimon and pushed her straight through the hole in which Eudial had made in her destructive entrance. Chokokker screeched in pain as glass shards collided against her body, but the gold Rider continued. His charge didn't stop until he slammed the art Daimon into the playground equipment which had been located behind the school. Pushing off against her, Hakabuto got some space, preparing himself for another bout.

"Why you-!" Chokokker growled, preparing the last of her chisels.

"Hold it!"

Hakabuto and Chokokker looked up to see that the cavalry had arrived. Standing proudly at the top of the equipment were the local heroes, the Sailor Scouts. They were grouped together as the heroic team that they truly were. Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Mini-Moon, and Tuxedo Mask were all in attendance as the Daimon realized that it was now officially over its head. A Rider by himself was dangerous, but now that the Scouts were here, it was going to get downright desperate.

"About time, guys," said Hakabuto, relieved to see his fellow heroes.

"Sorry we're late," Moon nodded. "However, when evil insists on tainting the pure heart that goes into beautiful pieces of art, then all of us must put a hand in defeating it. So in the name of the moon…"

"…We will punish you!" the collected girls cried, pointing down at the Daimon.

The Sailor Scouts quickly went into action as they leaped from the equipment down to the ground. All of them took a stance and prepared to face battle against another Daimon. Of course, one green-clad Scout just had to break formation and check on her beau. She ran her hands along the marks which she found on his armor, indicating that the Daimon had been rather combat oriented

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking to her boyfriend's visor for some answer, even though she knew said visor would be impossible to see through.

"I'm fine," Hakabuto answered, straightening his back. "But this thing managed to stop my Clock Up."

The girls gasped. The Riders' most advantageous ability had been stripped from Hakabuto? It didn't seem possible. Their personal danger level gauges (which were rather accurate for almost all of them save for Moon who classified anything that looked remotely scary as dangerous) put this Daimon at a higher threat level than the ones who had come before it. Still, they had a duty to defeat any and all threats which would dare try to harm innocent people and they wouldn't back down from this one.

"Enough about me though," said Hakabuto. "Let's take this thing down and then show that witch Eudial that you DON'T mess with kids!"

"Alright, let's get him!" shouted Sailor Moon. However, before they could attack…something else happened.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!" the voice of Eudial shrieked from inside the school.

The collected fighters turned to see what the commotion was, even Chokokker was curious. Looking to the school, they saw Eudial dashing out like she had seen hell itself. However, she wasn't as intact as before. Bruises were spreading across her pale skin and her clothes seemed ripped in spots as if someone was trying to catch her. Her left eye was swelling shut and blood was trailing down from the edge of her mouth. She was panting, obviously from the effort and the pain she was no doubt experiencing. Completely unheeding of the pending fight, she dashed towards Hakabuto and pressed herself against his back, trying to hide.

"Help me! He's going to kill me!" Eudial whimpered.

"Uh…Who?" asked Sailor Mars bluntly.

"HIM!" Eudial sobbed in terror as she pointed at the school. Out from the hole she had made, came out none other than…

"Tendou!" Hakabuto identified.

"Tendou?!" the group of magical girls and one magical young man gasped.

'Tendou' entered the battlefield, his face a stoic mask as he approached the group. Around his waist was his usual belt, but the Zector hadn't arrived yet. As he got closer though, his eyes landed on both Eudial and Chokokker. The fact he saw her made Eudial whimper and begin quietly sobbing in fear as she clutched Hakabuto tighter than before. With a mechanical cry, the Zector flew straight into 'Tendou's' waiting hand but Mini-Moon noticed something was indeed off and so did Hakabuto.

The Zector, instead of being red, was dark black.

"Henshin," 'Tendou' spoke as he attached the Zector to his belt.

"HENSHIN!"

The armor covered his entire body. Now, Sailor Moon wasn't very observant, so she cheered, "Go get her, Kabuto!"

"Moon, look at his visor," Hakabuto pointed. The leader of the Scouts blinked and then looked at Kabuto again. The remaining Scouts weren't far behind as they were curious as to why Hakabuto seemed so tense and 'Kabuto' was being so cruel. When they looked to where they were told to see, they indeed began noticing something odd. The Masked Form armor was still the same but hat they all quickly realized was that the visor of the armor was yellow instead of the blue they had come to know.

"CHOKOKKER! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! I DON'T CARE HOW!" Eudial screamed, her terror reaching new heights as the Kamen Rider came closer.

Chokkoker obediently lunged and attacked the Rider with a pair of chisels, striking at his armor but with little effect as 'Kabuto' blocked the strikes. He then sent the female monster flying backwards with a well-aimed punch straight to the face. Obviously restraint was a foreign concept to this person. The Rider then reached down to his black Kabuto Zector, pulling the horn. Electricity arched over his body as his outer Masked Form armor began to come loose. He then pulled the horn all the way.

"Cast Off."

"CAST OFF!" the Zector echoed, sending the armor flying in all directions, striking Chokokker and narrowly missing the Scouts and Hakabuto.

NOW, the Scouts, Gold Rider and Tuxedo Mask could see the difference. This was not the Kabuto they knew. Though the basic structure was similar, his armor had very striking differences. His chest armor and helmet were both black. A red circuitry pattern could be seen on the Rider's chestplate that flashed yellow as the Masked Form armor cleared from it. A black horn rose up and attached to the faceplate, causing the yellow eyes to flash as it attached.

"CHANGE BEETLE!"

This was not Kabuto…but his darker counterpart…Dark Kabuto.

Dark Kabuto let out a roar before charging towards Chokokker, frightening the Scouts and making Eudial sob into Hakabuto's back even more prominently. Was this woman really so terrified of this Rider? What did he do to her? Dark Kabuto began his brutal assault as he swung his fists hard at the monster, not giving it any advantage or an opening to strike back. He was vicious and cruel as he attacked the artistic Daimon, leaving various injuries on the female monster's body. He then sent it flying with a kick into the face. Chokokker rolled along the ground, spitting blood from her mouth before trying to stand, revealing the scratches, cuts, and rapidly developing bruises on her body.

She looked up to see Dark Kabuto reaching his Zector. He pressed the buttons, his gaze never leaving her.

"1, 2, 3," the Zector responded before he reset the horn to its original position.

"Rider Kick," Dark Kabuto spoke before pulling the horn.

"RIDER KICK!"

With a roar, Dark Kabuto leapt upwards and extended one leg while tucking in the other one. His foot started to energize and then he smashed right into Chokokker, sending her flying before hitting a tree and exploding into black smoke. Out from the smoke fell a set of three chisels that rolled along the ground, which were all Chokokker truly was. From the middle of the three chisels, the familiar Daimon seed emerged and shattered, releasing the screaming phantom which withered and vanished. Dark Kabuto landed and simply stood still for a moment before he turned his gaze towards the group

The Scouts and lone Rider could all silently agree that this definitely not the same Rider they knew. Tendou was never so brutal in battle. He was powerful and steady in attacks, but not once did he overpower an opponent like this man had done. Tendou would usually wait for an attack before countering with his own moves, but this Rider was a pure attacking force. Whoever this guy was…he was not Souji Tendou.

Deciding to get to the bottom of this immediately, the gold Rider stepped forward. He didn't know if this guy was on their side, but if he wasn't then he was the only one who would be able to stand at least a fraction of a chance. "Hey, you!" Hakabuto called. Dark Kabuto stopped his approach and stared at the gold Rider.

"You," Dark Kabuto pointed at Hakabuto. "Do you know Kabuto?"

"Huh?" Hakabuto cocked an eyebrow.

"Tell me where he is," demanded Dark Kabuto. "Where is Kabuto?"

"Like I would tell you!" Hakabuto spat. After what he had seen, there was no way he was going to tell the black Rider where Tendou was! If anything this guy was a certifiable nutjob. Who knew what he would do if he knew where Tendou was?

"Then you are in my way. I will just have to remove you," Dark Kabuto slapped the switch on his belt. "Clock Up!"

"CLOCK UP!"

"Damn! Clock Up!" commanded Hakabuto. He prayed that whatever Chokokker had done was undone by her destruction.

"CLOCK UP!"

The two Riders vanished from the eyes of the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. Eudial fell to her knees, shivering fiercely.

"Kira!" Jupiter shouted. However, her cry was drowned out when a tree suddenly began dropping branches which looked like they were torn off and bars on the playground began to bend as if hit with an invisible force. The Scout of Jupiter shuddered, hoping none of those impacts hit her boyfriend.

"Okay you!" Sailor Mars frowned, grabbing Eudial's arm and pulling her to her feet. "You seemed to know who that guy is! Spill!"

"Yeah!" demanded Venus. "Just who is that guy? Why does he look like Kabuto?"

"We…we don't know who he is," Eudial shuddered, her eyes staring at the battlefield where the light-speed opponents were fighting. The evidence that the brawl hadn't moved was still there as objects began moving as if struck. Normally she would have never spilled any details about the operations she was involved in. However, seeing Dark Kabuto again had firmly broken her resolve to keep her mouth shut about the subject. "We…we were doing…experiments…to try and counter the Rider technology. There was…an incident. He appeared. We kept him confined…but then he broke out…we just called him…Dark Kabuto…"

Everyone felt a chill go down their spines at the name.

In the Clock Up space, the two Riders traded blow after blow with the dark Rider easily getting the upper hand.. Dark Kabuto slammed a fist across Hakabuto's face and the rookie Rider retaliated with a punch which Dark Kabuto ducked under before planting an uppercut which made Hakabuto stumble backwards. Dark Kabuto then kicked Hakabuto backwards before dealing a series of kicks that sent Hakabuto staggering which each strike, ultimately making his see stars for a moment.

"Damn it!" Hakabuto cursed as he reached to his Zector and pressed the buttons. He didn't want to, but he couldn't hold back against this guy!

"1, 2, 3," the Zector called.

"Rider Kick!" He reset the horn and pulled it back.

"RIDER KICK!"

Hakabuto leapt at Dark Kabuto who stood still but then Dark Kabuto leapt up and over Hakabuto, causing the New Guy to miss. "Huh?"

"CLOCK OVER!"

The Clock Up ended and both Riders reappeared in front of the collected Scouts and member of the Witches 5. Said witch whimpered and began scrambling backwards from the dark Rider. Dark Kabuto ignored the group in favor of his foe as he punched the buttons on his Zector before he pulled the horn of his own Zector. "Rider Kick."

"RIDER KICK!"

Dark Kabuto leapt up and Hakabuto saw him coming with a drop kick. He wasn't able to avoid it in time and was struck in the helmet with explosive force. There was a shattering noise as a section of Hakabuto's helmet broke apart on the impact, revealing a part of Kira Yagami's face. Sparks and sprays of energy surged from the destroyed helmet as the impact struck. The force from the kick alone sent Hakabuto flying and tumbling along the ground before his armor abandoned him along with the Zector. Kira Yagami lay prone on the ground, unconscious, and bleeding from a head wound.

"HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!" Eudial shrieked, seeing her one hope of rescue fail. Making a dash for the school, she practically dove into the car before gunning the engine and crashing through the front wall. The car then drove down the hallway and crashed through the main doors before heading out onto the road. Her tires squealing were the last anyone heard of her.

Coldly, Dark Kabuto gave a snort before he slapped his palm onto the side of his belt, "Clock Up."

"CLOCK UP!"

And he was gone.

"KIRA!" Sailor Jupiter cried, dashing over to her downed boyfriend. This was exactly like that nightmare she had a while ago. She silently begged the Kami not to let her boyfriend die. Taking a Rider Kick to the head couldn't be considered healthy in any sense of the word. "Kira, wake up!" She shook his body, trying to get a response. His head was still bleeding as she began to cry. "Kira…please wake up."

"He must have a concussion!" said Mercury, recalling what medical knowledge she had accumulated through studies and her mother's know-how. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

"I'll call an ambulance!" Venus nodded as she dashed towards the school, praying that the phone lines were still working.

**--TIME BREAK—**

Yagami was placed on a stretcher and wheeled out of the ambulance by the paramedics with a neck brace on to prevent any possible damage from getting worse along the ride. Lita was allowed onto the ambulance as well, since she was his significant other. The other girls watched solemnly as the ambulance pulled away, letting sirens blare so to get congesting traffic out of the way. The boy's life might be at stake!

"Kira…" Lita whimpered sorrowfully as she held her boyfriend's hand, hoping that he would wake up again soon.

**--TIME BREAK—**

Lita was forced to wait in the waiting room while the doctors did their examinations of the young man which was brought in. Her friends were quick to arrive and be at her side for moral support. Raye and Mina were trying to learn what was going on while Serena and Rini stayed at Lita's side, trying to comfort her in her time of need. Both Luna and Artemis longed to say something comforting, but settled for rubbing her legs to show support since they couldn't talk in public. Darien just sat in another chair close to Serena, somewhat shell shocked on his own at what had happened. It only served to remind him of the wounds he received from the Dark Generals while he was collecting the Rainbow Crystals back when his life as Tuxedo Mask began.

Surprisingly, Michelle and Haruka came rushing into the room. Michelle seemed pale and panicked while Haruka seemed like she had swallowed a lemon of some kind.

"Lita!" Michelle gasped as she dashed over to the tall brunette. "I just heard what happened! Kira took a blow to the head after that crazy woman actually drove her car into the side of the school?!"

"Uh (hic) huh," Lita nodded, remembering the cover story that the girls had told the paramedics when they arrived.

"We just left practically moments before it all began," Haruka added. Her usually confident voice seemed to gain a low undertone of some kind, not that anyone noticed. "I can't believe it. We could have gotten hit too."

Michelle simply hugged Lita, allowing the tall young woman to vent more tears into her shoulder. Haruka took a seat next to Rini, seemingly in a daze about hearing about the incident.

A doctor approached the group, recognizing Lita who'd come in with Yagami. Lita was up in a shot, clasping her hands together, her tears dripping down her face.

"Are you the patient's family?" asked the doctor as he held up a clipboard.

"I'm his girlfriend," said Lita. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He has a very severe concussion," said the doctor, shaking his head. "Also, he has various other injuries on his body." He asked, "Care to tell me what happened?"

"He got into a fight…protecting me," said Lita. "Please, can you help him?"

"We'll do all we can," said the doctor. "Trust me, the young man will be alright."

'_Oh, Kira…_'

It wasn't long before Tendou (the real Tendou) to appear along with Kagami. Seeing as they were Yagami's 'relatives', they'd been called and they immediately rushed to the hospital. Kagami had panicked when he heard but Tendou was calm as always, though his eyes did show concern after hearing about what had happened to the 'New Guy'. As Tendou entered the waiting room, all of the girls did a collective flinch as they saw his face. However, they quickly relaxed when they could feel he didn't mean them any harm. Since Lita was distracted with the doctor, Raye took initiative and strode forward and pulled Tendou to another part of the room where Haruka and Michelle, much less anyone else, would not overhear.

"What happened?" Tendou asked sternly as Raye held her own gaze.

"We were attacked by another Kamen Rider," Raye answered. "And before he transformed we saw his face. He looked remarkably like you."

"What?" Tendou blinked.

"And when he transformed, his armor was exactly like yours," Raye continued. "The only difference was that the Rider Form was black."

"…oh no," Tendou gasped. If he wasn't above such things he would have paled. What he did do was lean against the wall and closed his eyes as if he had suddenly gained an immense weight on his shoulders. "Not him. Why now?"

"You know who he is?" asked Raye with a frown.

"I do," Tendou nodded gravely. "His name is Souji Kusakabe. He is Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto, the sole remaining Worm on the planet."

Raye's eyes widened in no small amount of shock.

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Over with the others, Michelle watched Tendou and Raye speak, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. However, she didn't quite care at the moment. Her thoughts were concentrated on Kira and the terrible condition he was in.

After returning the crystal, she and Haruka took spots around the Daimon, keeping hidden from sight unless they were needed. They had witnessed the Clock Down attack and were curious as to what effects it would have on Riders. That was when the man who looked like Tendou appeared and transformed into that…mockery of what Kamen Rider Kabuto truly was. However, seeing him fight was terrible, but seeing what he did to Hakabuto was downright terrifying. While she and Haruka had their problems with the Riders, no one deserved a beating like the one poor Kira had received.

"_It seems…my fears were confirmed,_" Michelle thought sadly. '_I hope this won't affect our friendship, Kira._"

To be Continued…

A/N: Please don't hate me for not updating for a while. You'll make Rini cry if you flame me.


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